Reincarnation
by Rallalon
Summary: Everyone's favorite Lemurian is going to out live his friends by millennia. But with a cycle of rebirth, who says that's a bad thing?
1. From the Golden Age

Two men sat atop the Venus Lighthouse, one gray-haired and weary with his years, the other youthful and ready to live for half of forever. Literally.

The older of the pair, or so he seemed, sat on the steps with a sigh. "Everyone that was up here is dead now, Mariner," he reminisced, using a nickname once given in aggravation.

"Except for you."

He cracked a slight grin. "I'm unkillable, remember?" The grin was wiped away. "After what happened here, I thought we both were."

"You'll see each other again."

"Sooner than you think." He looked around at the bright sun, the Light of Venus, the ocean sparkling. "It's a good day to die."

Alarm flooded through the other. "_No."_ he breathed, unable to say it any louder. "You- you can't!"

"I'm not like you, Mariner. I can't be eighteen forever. I haven't been for a long time."

"I just- I don't want to be alone."

"With seventy-two Djinn you'll be alone?" An eyebrow rose under his untidy mane.

"They're not the same, Swordsman. You know that."

The swordsman's hard brown eyes met his. "You want me to comfort you? Say that we'll make it alright? Picard Piers, you can stand on your own." He had risen to his feet, once again the proud warrior that would never let himself or his friends be beaten. The spark was in his eyes, confidence in his left hand placed "carelessly" over his sword hilt, determination in his posture even with the old limp. "Anyway, whatever happened to that cycle of rebirth you were always talking about?"

"I still believe."

"Then what was that saying again?"

"'In fifty years or fifty millennia'?"

"See you in fifty." He started to sit back down before adding: "One last favor?"

Picard fought back tears. "Anything."

"Keep this for me?" he inquired, holding out his trusty blade. "I expect it back."

Picard took the offered Sol Blade with a tremulous hand and stuck the mighty sword through his belt before he could drop it. An unspoken promise shot between them. 

Then the swordsman collapsed.

Picard had seen his comrade on the brink of dealth what seemed like countless times. On the two Lighthouses he had helped light, he had seen his companion's lifeforce drain out of him along with so much blood. He had heard Jenna chant from the Tomegathericon infinite times to revive him after he "did a hasty". Each time he had thought his friend dead.

This time, he _knew_.


	2. to the present day

To avoid confusion, I'm listing how the characters will speak:

((Venus Djinni))

{Mars Djinni}

[Mercury Djinni]

Jupiter Djinni

Human to Djinni through mind link 

_thought_

And of course "speech"

Now for the Disclaimer!

Rallalon does not own Golden Sun or any of the characters, soccer balls, park benches, Djinni, the phrase "Get off! _Get off!!!"_, Invisible Ian, Blue-hair, Mariner, Pops, and Math as nicknames, thick wooden tables, buckets of fish guts, or blue hair.

.........

A boy plopped down onto a park bench, a teen, or at least that's what he appeared to be. The teenagers kicking their ball around might give him a second glance because of his hair, blue and cut close to his head. Besides that there was nothing to mark him out, nothing to hint at the mysteries behind his golden eyes.

Eyes that watched another boy, limping away from his game.

Is that him? 

((Let me see))

His eyes glowed and a speck of blue came into them. His body tensed with a great eagerness that could be sensed yards away. With a sigh, he leaned back against the bench as his eyes became a pure golden again.

((A limp doesn't stay with a spirit. I don't even sense anything from him. What about you?))

He knew the question wasn't directed at him and waited for another's answer.

Only a spark. It could be Venus or Mars, no telling which. Either way, she added as they watched the boy hobble off from a rough soccer game, there wouldn't be enough Psynergy to use Move.

[Might be from having the Fires out.]

{It's always the Lighthouses to blame with you isn't it?}

He gave an inward sigh at the beginning of a familiar argument. Sometimes it was like having everyone still around. Of course then seven out of the nine guests in his head had been different then. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore it.

[If they were still lighted –]

{If they're lighted again, it could destroy the world this time! You want _that_ to happen?!}

And Shade would join in . . . [Stop picking on her!]

{You wanna make somethin' of it, Lemurian?}

No, now shut up in there! He was met with a chorus of protest.

{I wasn't talking to you!}

Then Echo . . . ((Torch, we've got three Lemurians here . . .))

Followed by Breath. . . . you'll have to be more precise.

((Will you two stop finishing each other's sentences? It's too lovey-dovey))

[I think it's kinda' cute, Flint.]

{Then why don't you do it with Shade?}

Everybody shut up! People are starting to give me weird looks. We don't want to attract attention! 

{Can't we go on Stand by? I need to stretch!}

Not now, Cannon. Later. he groaned.

.........

"I'm open! Open, Gary!" As always, he was ignored. _Invisible Ian, once again._ At least he was playing, not being beat up. Though it was a little much to expect his childhood bully to pass to him. Didn't matter; Ian dashed down to the goal anyway.

As always, they let him slip past their defenses; Ian never got the ball. Never? Well, today was an exception. "Ian!" Gary bellowed, trying to alert him to the white and black blur propelling towards him. At the last moment he thought to do something. He side-stepped, letting the ball zoom past . . .

_SLAM!!! _

. . . right into some guy's head.

"Ian, you idiot!" someone yelled at him, most likely his entire team. But he didn't hear.

"Man, I'm sorry!" he apologized even as he dashed over to the blue-haired guy he had just nailed. "You ok?"

Blue-hair had his hand on his cheek, rubbing it gently. Then he did the last thing Ian could have expected: he grinned. "I've had worse." Ian blinked. Had he glowed for a second? No, 'course not.

He raised his gaze to Ian's. His eyes were strange. Ian had seen yellow and even bronze a few times for eye colors, but this was a downright gold, a hue of sunrise. And there, dancing around the pupils were little flecks of blue. Not stationery, but moving independently. Watching him. _Freaky . . ._ But then again it somehow seemed . . . familiar. A second ago, Blue-hair had looked only nineteen or twenty. But now . . . there was wisdom behind his eyes that Ian had never seen before. Knowledge that no one could get in a lifetime.

"Isaac?"

"Wh-what? I'm Ian."

The other didn't respond, but appeared to be thinking deeply. His pupils were aimed away from him, so why did it feel as if he was still being stared at? Finally Blue-hair nodded, as if agreeing with someone. That should've creeped him out, but it reminded him of . . . something. "Name's Picard."

"As in Captain?" Ian gave a jerk at Gary's voice. He'd forgotten they weren't alone.

"Well, I do have a ship, but I assure you, it's never left the atmosphere," Picard said in a joking tone before another speck appeared in each eye. He gave another nod before starting up. "Do you know where the library is?"

.........

Shade rode behind his vessel's eyes, his usual spot. He didn't know how he saw what Picard saw there, nor where exactly in the body he was. _The head?_ he pondered for the thousandth time. _I don't think I would feel this if it were the head._ What he felt was his vessel's loneliness, of being surrounded for millennia but with friends for only a heartbeat of that time. _His heart? No, it's quiet here._ He gazed out, studying people's faces even if Picard was looking the other way. _His soul,_ Shade concluded, _his soul._

{Go back, Picard! That was Garet, I know it was!}

And how would we explain that, Torch? "Oh, hello. You might not remember me, but I was one of your closest friends before you died thousands of years ago. And this here is a Djinni, but not just any Djinn, your partner. Oh yeah, you can control the power of fire, too, or Mars as we like to call it." 

{Well, uh, Flint agrees with me! You want to go see Isaac, right, Flint?}

((Look, if only the basic characteristics of a person are preserved, neither Isaac or Garet would remember us.))

Neither of them did.

((Exactly! But they can! We hold their memories, that's the only reason Picard's carrying us around.)) _Actually, he likes the company,_ Shade thought to himself. ((All we have to do is Set ourselves to them and they have their identities back.))

((Easier said then done. You know how freaked out Felix was when he first met me? He started screaming his head off when I spoke with him though mind link. And that was in an age where this kind of stuff was common place.))

((Echo, I don't think Isaac's that excitable.))

((He would be too if a monster like the ones that had _killed_ his friends popped up in his head.))

For once, it was completely silent.

.........

"Hey, Doc," Matthew greeted the old librarian double-checking the books on the A-D side of the first bookcase.

"Hey, Matthew," he was greeted back as the man needlessly inspected the many rows of Anonymous authors. Neither Doc nor Matthew would speak again until Math left.

_Peace and quiet. _That was just how Matthew liked it here. No one ever came to _this_ library except him and Doc who ran it. After all, there were bedrooms bigger than this place and with more useful books. _Doodle, write or rest today? Write then doodle, doodle then rest? Rest. _With that he plunked his head down on the thick wooden table atop his notebook.

"We're looking to see if anyone around here knows about Psynery or anything." His head popped up from the unexpected voice coming from the last row of selves. That wasn't Doc talking; he was in the washroom now. _Si-energy?_ "You of all people show know why; to show Isaac and Garet. And the others when we find them."

Letting his curiosity get then better of him, he slowly pushed back his folding chair, holding on just so in order to keep it from folding under him. He grabbed his book and flipped it open. Once he was confident he appeared to be looking for something for a summer school report, he walked down to the four bookcases, three horizontal to the back wall and the other built into it.

Anonymous on one side, A-D on the other. E-I on one side, J-M on the other. N-R on one side, S-X on the other. On the selves built into the back wall, it was Y,Z and random magazines. His plan was to stop between J-M and N-R and listen through to avoid any notice to his eavesdropping. Only the first half worked.

The speaker was there. _Danggit!_ He turned what had been an instinctual retreat into a reach for one of the heavy volumes. The last thing he wanted to do was run away. In his haste, his didn't notice how the other's hand shot up beside his ear. "Call you back, bye." Matthew also didn't notice how his hand was empty even before he tucked it into his pocket.

What he did notice was the man's _blue_ hair and the golden eyes that gazed steadily at him and the fifty-pound book he was holding with one hand. "Not many people are into Alchemy," blue boy said conversationally.

"Uh, what?" Matthew darted a glance to the words printed across the old (and _heavy_) pages. "Just a project." The gaze didn't drop. "For school, you know?"

The other relaxed. Slightly. _What kind of issues does he have? _"Summer homework's a bucket of fish guts, isn't it?"

"Yeah." _Fish guts? Where the heck is this guy from?_ "Hey, uh, are you a mariner or something?"

He grinned as if his best friend had just come back to life, a trace of blue darting behind that gold. Matthew watched as that joy was marred abruptly by something, a fierce headache or a spasm. "Set, set, set, set, set, stay set, set, set, set," he muttered, clutching his skull, "not now, set, wait, set."

There was a flash of light that made it impossible to look at Mariner and illuminated nothing else. Matthew didn't even know it had happened or not; if he had blinked, he would've missed it. But one thing he couldn't have missed was the fist-size creature Mariner was grabbing at. And how it started to grow.

"Stop! Set!" The creature paid him no heed as it swelled to size of a cat. The giant azure orbs that were its huge eyes stared at Matthew from under its eyebrow-resembling ears, forked and brown like its tail. It excitedly hopped from little tan foot to little tan foot, now the size of an average dog. Its cream-colored belly was bulged out, like the gullet of some monstrous frog. It leaped towards him.

There was only one thing Matthew could do: _"DOC!!!"_ he bellowed (not screamed, mind you) and ran.

At least he tried to run. The thing had somehow gotten between his legs, the spines running down its back sticking into his pant-legs along with his legs themselves. The result was both of them tumbling to the ground, Matthew still yelling (_not _screaming) at the top of his lungs for Doc. He had no idea what the old man could do, but there was always 911.

The thing was still caught, still thrashing, but now Matthew had a plan. Even while falling to the floor, even throughout that freaky transformation, he hadn't dropped the book. That was good for two reasons: One, it would've crushed his foot. Two, and more importantly, he had a weapon.

"Get off! _Get off!!!"_ he screamed (yes, he was screaming now), whacking the beast as hard as he could, hitting his legs just as often. That did it. It ripped free of his jeans, jumped back, and turned to Mariner. "Look out!"

He simply stood there with an "Uh-oh, I messed up really bad this time" look on his face.

He scrambled back until he hit the cinder-block wall. "Matthew, what in the blazes is going on?!" Doc yelled, finally coming to his rescue. Matthew didn't respond, too afraid of provoking the thing to make a sound. "What happened to you?!" he inquired, taking notice of Math's ripped pants. And the monster. "A Djinni . . ."

The thing- the Djinni waddled closer. Then it cocked its head to the side and spoke. "Hello."

It was one voice made of a thousand, a thousand people saying hello at once, a hundred words that meant that one thing. It was repeating and mimicking every person, every time they had said that. It had no voice of it's own, just an "Echo . . . "

"You're back." Before, Mariner had looked as if his best friend had returned to life. With that one statement, it was clear he had.


	3. to the present night

Alexditto: ¡Grazias! Me gusta hablar español también. Pero… ¡no soy un señor! And, Sour, this might sound weird but I _was_ excited. I had gotten so into it that I had an adrenaline spike along with Math. Bizarre. Hey, what do you want to say when you come into the story?

Khorne, the ChaosMage: Boomarangeantoodooloodoos! You're my first violent reviewer! I'm good enough to be threatened! **_WOOHOO!!!!!_** (P.S. See I'm keeping it up…so don't smite me! ::cowers in fear::)

Vyctori: You're on my favorite authors list! If I take a long time to update, will you get Menardi to hurt me? Not that I want you to, just wondering. His hair's not cut! Read on and find out! The blue specks were just for the Djinn (All Djinn have blue eyes except for Mercury) but that might work too. Just for a heads up on "modern day Proxans", check the world map that comes with the instruction booklet then check a real world one. 0 (I don't know why I find this funny, I just do.) Writing the accent will be fun! On the Math issue, not exactly. It'll be explained later.

Orchid the Jupiter Adept: I'm sorry about the confusion, but it seemed wrong to keep the same names. Seriously, I hate rebirth fics that do that! Still, I'm keeping it similar. Well, except for Math, but the only "F" starting name I could think of (besides Felix) was Felton. ::shudders:: Besides that, the names will had the same first letter or basic sound.

Vilya: Thanks! I had a lot of time to think this out. So much in fact that it only took a day and a half to write this. I nearly had to respond to you in the next chapter!

**End of Response Section**

To (attempt to) avoid any _more_ confusion, I'm saying right here that flashbacks will be done in _italics_.

**Disclaimer:** Rallalon does not own Golden Sun, any of it's charactors, evil soccer balls, the month of June, a bench, a persistent irk, the phrases "Oh by the salt," and "Get back! Get back!!!", run-on sentences, a braid (hair's too short), an out of beat chorus, complete idiots, and sweet sleepy moments.

………

The park was nice and quiet at night. All the kids had gone home, taking their evil soccer balls with them. The stars were out, meaning no clouds, meaning no rain. Not that it would've been that bad. It was in the middle of June and unusually warm. All in all, it was a perfect night.

__

Then why can't I sleep? thought Picard Piers, staring up through the slats of the bench he laid under.

[Because you're excited we found three of them today?] Spring volunteered.

((And that none of them remembered us?)) added Flint gloomily.

((Felix remembered us.))

Shut up, Echo. Just shut up. 

((Why? That _was_ him! I had every right to . . .))

{_We _didn't. Not when we found Garet and Isaac. What gives you that right?!}

You nearly blew all of this for us! Oh by the salt, you might've already! 

__

"Matthew, what in the blazes is going on?!" the old man yelled. "What happened to you?! A Djinni . . ."

Echo waddled closer. "Hello," he said in his mimicking voice, sounding like the out of beat chorus he always did when he spoke.

"Echo . . . " the boy had breathed, now calm.

He knew who Echo was! There was only one person he could be with the Psyngeric flames of Venus dancing in his veins. "You're back."

But while Felix's reincarnated form had calmed down, the old man hadn't. "Get back! Get back!!!_" he ordered Felix, holding a broom in one hand like a sword and for a shield, an old folding chair, most likely rusted closed._

Echo had simply sat there, staring at Felix as Picard was doing. Felix simply stared back, his hazel eyes remembering their fear. Then he scrambled back again until he was behind the old man.

That was what struck Picard as the greatest change. Not that his hair was buzzed so it was more of a dark fuzz than his former mane. Not that Picard was taller than him. Not that he was scrawny, or looked way_ too young to be even fifteen, let alone eighteen. No, it was how his friend and ally was looking at him._

It was how one of the few people who had always been there for him was afraid of him. Picard knew that look; he had worn it nearly everyday oh so long ago.

Picard had been face-to-face with many a monster wearing that look. Maybe Felix was seeing a monster too.

{He was afraid of Echo! Afraid of his own Djinni! Felix isn't a coward; that couldn't've been him!}

Cannon, does _everything_ have to be black-and-white with you? It's all gray area here; you can't go and get a simple answer.

((He recognized me for a little bit!))

And then he got scared. See? Grey territory.

Picard tried to block their conversation out. He thought of the events that had followed in the mishap.

__

He had grabbed a rather shaken Echo, who had immediately started fighting him. "Set already! Set!_"_

Most likely believing Picard was trying to hold the thrashing Djinni back from hurting them, the man "came to his rescue". With a yell, he had charged forward, holding the broom and chair as if he were jousting. Echo squirmed free half-a-second before, leaving Picard to dodge the blow.

He sidestepped and made a grab at Echo, still trying to get back to Felix. Felix who apparently had other plans. He ran for the door, yelling back "I'll get some help!"

That had thrown Picard for a loop. Felix_, leaving a fight, to get _help._ Felix didn't do that. _Felix isn't afraid of me either._ Had he and Echo made a mistake? No, behind the fear there had been acknowledgement. That had been Felix. A _weird _Felix._

"Wait!_" the old man yelled._

What?

Too late. He had been out the door and was most likely halfway down the street already. Echo sat on the floor disappointedly, finally letting Picard grab him.

"Oh well, probably better this way," said . . . What was that he been called? Oh yes, Dock. It seemed Lemuria wasn't the only place with water-based names.

"Uh, what?" Picard had inquired, rather confused from the whole ordeal.

"Is it yours? Venus isn't it?" Dock asked right back, intrigued.

Picard was at a loss for words. But Echo wasn't: "I'm mine," Echo responded haughtily. "And I'm a he, not an it."

Echo, shut up! he hissed at the elemental beast in his arms through mind link. He said aloud, "What exactly do you know about –"

"Everything in these books." He tapped a finger on a shelf for emphasis. "In other words," he paused, obviously trying to heighten suspense, "Alchemy."

There was something familiar in that pause. Irksome, but familiar. Picard studied this "Dock". He was tall and must've been elderly by the outsider standards. He had a bird-like quality to him with his gray hair flying in different directions, like the feathers of a bird recently flown through turbulent winds. So familiar but he couldn't put a finger on it.

"So then, he's your partner, I take it?" Doc continued, now questioning Echo.

"No." It was always strange when Echo said "no". It was shouts, whispers, and cries of protest and denial. There was one particular voice in the cascade of tones that always stood out to Picard. The last no Felix had ever heard. "That guy who just ran out."

"Matthew didn't seem to know you… Ack! He's going to be bringing others! Quick, Set yourself! You," he pointed at Picard, "hide."

For once, Echo followed orders. In a moment, Doc was blinking away the after-image of the Setting light. ((C'mon, if I have to do what he says, so do you.))

"Why?"

"I'll explain later. Get into the jon!"

"Who?_"_

"The bathroom!"

After that nothing had been explained; he was just to come back the following day. Doc had covered, saying that Echo had been some freaky dog. Luckily, Felix (or Matthew depending on your point of view) was known for an overactive imagination. Not so luckily for him, it was embarrassing at age seventeen. _He had also told Felix to come back tomorrow too._

Was that what was irking him? No, it was the sense that he knew Pops from somewhere.

Hello, Djinni to Picard, Djinni to Picard! Are you a complete idiot? That was Kraden! Who _else_ is that... Kraden-like?!

Yes! Yes to Kraden, no to irksome. It was something else . . . Breath, you can drop the illusion now. 

Oh yeah, almost forgot.

((You _did_ forget.))

Picard didn't bother to shush Echo; he was too happy at the irk being gone. Just to be sure, he reached behind his head and gave his braid a firm tug. The Jupiter Djinni's illusion was fully gone. With it in effect, he looked like a fairly normal guy with hair dye and contacts. Not _too_ unusual. The downside was that not even Picard would feel the tightly braided length of hair, even if his hand was on it.

The tired Lemurian gave it another tug. _Still there. . ._

He lay looking up through the slats but his mind was far away. It was one of those sweet sleepy moments where reality and dreams mix. One of rare times he didn't worry that his plan wasn't fully complete, or what the senators were doing while he was away. He closed his eyes and sunk deeper towards the dream of flying on the _Seamist_. He smiled in his sleep, glad to be back with his friends.


	4. to the present Tuesday

Alexditto: Wow, twice in a row! You weren't kidding about liking this in your first review! I like Picard Piers. Yup, I like using Piers for his last name. I never realized how much of a feedback I'd get from the short hair! True, it is an essential part of him. You're the second person to threaten me with a mob and/or OBHL.

Vyctori: It's true about the Felix/Math thing and don't worry, I couldn't figure our how to write the accent. Oh, and Breath isn't the only one with an illusion going on. More on that in later chapters. (I should stop hinting at things, shouldn't I?) But he does have a permanent residence. (Guess where. C'mon, guess! Yup, you got it: more on that in later chapters.)

hyliansage: It's mostly Picard Piers but all the other characters are in it. Eventually. This might sound weird, but Felix was only in the first chapter. Still, he'll pop in soon enough, along with several others thanks to the Djinn and several other things.

End of Response Section

Yes, I actually did research for this; I'm not sure if that means I'm dedicated or just obsessive. Prorva is a real town between the Caspian and the Aral Sea. "Da" means yes in Russian and "Nyet" is no. Satornil is a real name according to Paul Goldschmidt's Dictionary of Russian Names. I haven't decided on what Menardi will be called so you can vote on:

__

Makrina, which means "dry." Kind of suitable for a fire adept.

__

Mana, which means "attract." I don't really know why I picked this one, but she is pretty (depending on the picture).

__

Mavra, which means "dark." Menardi isn't really dark, but she's cool in a kind of dark way. (Until GS:2, then she'll cool in an overall way!)

__

Memeika. I don't know what it means.

__

Mertvoi, which means "dead," or in this particular case, "of the dead." Still kind of fitting for what happened (stupidly and unfairly) at Venus Lighthouse.

The first name with two votes wins. I'd go up to three but I don't think I have enough reviewers to wait that long. The next chapter won't be put up until Menardi gets her name; she's in there a _lot_.

****

Disclaimer Rallalon doesn't own Golden Sun, any of its characters, pay or cel phones, flannel sheets, the month of April, Russian accents, zippers that don't work, archeologists, the student exchange program, or the phrase "It's complicated".

………

"Matthew! Time to wake up!"

Matthew rolled over with a groan_. It's summer! I'm supposed to be able to sleep! I just got back from school!_ He stuck his head under his pillow, having kicked all the blankets he would've hid under off the bed.

"You'll have to adjust from the jet-lag sometime! Get up, Matthew! Your friend is on the phone! Hurry, it's long distance!"

"_What?!_" he yelped and bolted out of bed. To immediately find his sheets. "Ouf!"

Which is how his mother found him, laying on the floor, being strangled by blankets that should have been put away in April. "Can you hang on for a sec? He's fighting with the flannel."

__

"Mom!" He shook off the cloth and grabbed for the wireless. "Hey, who's this?"

"Who do you think this is?" inquired a man with a thick Russian accent from the other end.

"Satornil! How are you?"

"Very bored."

"Miss you, too."

"Never said I missed you. I said I was bored." _Typical Satornil._ "Just wanted to let you know I'm going to be in Idaho this week."

__

Woohoo!!! "That's cool," he said nonchalantly. "What for?"

"What else? School trip."

"In the _summer?_"

"Da, collage all year means I get out sooner," was the logical reply. "We're going to be visiting a couple of museums, one in your area, I think. The one with the finds from Chamber of the Sun?"

"Yeah! The Valley History Museum. So when are you coming?"

"In – Oh, drat! One sec . . ." Matthew could hear Satornil asking something on the other end in Russian. He abruptly switched languages and started talking rapid fire. "I'm out of change for the pay phone. I'm at the airport right now. The plane'll get in at –" He was cut off by a dial tone.

__

Danggit! He pressed the Line 1 button, ending the call on his end too.

__

Ring ring ring!

"Ah!" Matthew nearly dropped the ringing phone. He pressed the button again.

"The airport in American your tomorrow morning," said Satornil.

"Uh, what?"

"The plane'll get in at the airport your tomorrow morning. What exactly about that is causing you to question me? Oh, shoot, my zipper's stuck. Hang on . . . Stupid bag . . . "

"About why you hung up –"

"Because I was out of change. Cel phone now. Don't think I can be on for very long, though. Eight o' clock's when we get in. Friday morning, not tonight. Got to get off soon; she wants her phone back."

"_Her?" _Matthew teased.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Just keep your mouth shut when you see her."

"Kind of you to order me around. Let her have her phone back if you care so much. Maybe you could tell her how you feel while you're at it."

"Nyet! Other than annoyance, there is no feeling!"

"Please!" he scoffed.

"Quiet you. Remember your little compositions for 'Miss Violet Eyes'?"

"Shut up! Those were in my journal!"

"Under the bed, in the shoebox, wasn't it? Vine pattern cover, right?"

"Why the heck were you looking in there?!"

Satornil was about to respond when he heard "Sorry to break up this conversation, but I want my phone back now," in the background.

"Oh, uh, sorry. See you soon."

"Bye." With that, he pushed Line 1 and jumped back into bed. _Sleep . . ._

"Wakey, wakey, Matthew!" _Danggit!_

………

"Isn't this so great? All of us getting back together again?" Jen's mom asked her.

"Mom, we saw Aunt Debbie and Uncle Phil last month," Jen replied from the passenger seat, still sulky she wasn't the one driving.

"And you're not excited about seeing your cousin again?"

"_He's back?!_" _Sweet! I wonder if he picked up the accent._

"Matthew's been back from Russia for two weeks now." _Ah, so _that's_ the reason behind this trip._

"_And you didn't tell me?!_"

"I told you; you just weren't listening. I thought you would've figured it out by now. School's out so there's no reason that the student exchange program hasn't ended too."

"Oh."

………

"I guess he couldn't come. I shouldn't be too surprised after yesterday's incident," the librarian reasoned. The man had been switching back and forth from intent questioning to evasive replies. Easy to say, it was getting on Shade's nerves.

The Djinni had been sitting on a table for nearly half an hour along with Echo, and the man still hadn't given any information. Not even his real name. Shade could sense the patience of the Lemurian seated behind him growing thin.

Picard spoke at last._ Finally_. "Excuse me, Mr. . . . ?"

"_Doctor_ Crade."

"Excuse me, _doctor_, but you said you would explain a few things yesterday and so far I've gotten nothing but questions. Why exactly did you charge at Echo if you knew what he was?"

"It's simple," he remarked, sitting down on one of the _very_ unstable chairs. "From my readings, I have heard that if one were to defeat a Djinni in combat, the Djinni would join the victor."

"I take I you would like a Djinni."

"Very much so. How is it that you happened into yours?"

[He wants and exchange of info,] Shade blurted into the mind link, stretched faint by Standby.

Then that's what he'll get. 

[So long as he doesn't probe _too_ deep.] Spring warned.

Got it. Out loud, he said: "Shade here found me. Echo was the partner of a friend."

"Not a very good friend if you took his Djinni," Crade commented.

"It wasn't like that!" protested Echo. Shade winced; it always hurt when Echo yelled. "He made me go with Picard when he died!"

"I remember you saying that 'Echo' was Matthew's Djinni?" He voice made a statement; his eyes formed a question.

"It's complicated. Why did you want Fe- I mean, 'Matthew' away from Echo?"

"For his own safety. And I believe you didn't answer my question."

[Don't tell him!]

((He'll think you're nuts!)) Echo agreed.

"Do you also believe in reincarnation?"

"You still haven't answered my question." He looked at Picard, studying him. Or at least trying to. Breath kept his hair and clothes normal in appearance, but Gust had a job too. No matter what, it would be hard to remain focused on the ancient Adept for long with what Gust had going. Even if anyone did notice him, in a small way at least, they wouldn't consider him _too_ out of the ordinary. Shade didn't understand it, but he wasn't a Jupiter Djinni either. "Or are you saying I'd have to in order to understand what you're saying."

"Exactly."

"Tell me the story. Whether I decide to believe it or not is up to me."

At once a flurry of warnings and cautions from the Djinn swirled around in the Lemurian's head: {Don't!} After all the hiding, don't blow it like this![You want to be put in an asylum?] We can't make people forget what they've heard!((Fib! Fib like the wind!))

Despite all of the racket going on in his skull, Picard took a deep breath and began: "This is the condensed version of the truth. I don't even know all of it, but I'll tell you everything I know. It all started very long ago. Around here was a village by the name of Vale. That's where Echo's partner originated from. I believe relics have been found recently?"

"I was on that dig. I'm a doctor of archeology," Crade explained. "We thought the name of it was 'Valley'."

"Well, a vale is sort of a valley, so I can see where you went wrong. The village was at the base of a mountain. Mt. Aleph. They thought it was the center of the world. And it was. The world was flat then." Shade could've groaned; his vessel sounded like an imbecile.

Crade was wearing a "Do you take me for a fool?" look. _Not good._

"Within the mountain lay Sol Sanctum, the resting place of the Elemental Stars. There were four, one for each element of Alchemy. Venus, Mercury, Jupiter-"

"And Mars. Get on with it." A blank look. _Kind of better. I guess._

Against the judgment of the Djinn, he continued. "The Elders of Vale believed that the Elemental Stars, the keys to unlocking the full power of Alchemy were best left sealed away. The problem was that Alchemy was, and is, the life-force of Wey- I mean, Earth. Earth was dying, cut off from it's nourishment. A group of people eventually broke into the inner most room of the Sanctum to retrieve the Stars. My friend was one of them. In short, all four Stars left the Sanctum."

"Are you getting to the Djinn yet?" Crade prodded.

"The Djinn came into being because of their absence. One by one, they joined with different Adepts. Anyway, the group set about lighting special Lighthouses that would shine the Light of each element. Once all were lit, Alchemy was let loose upon the world, and instead of ending, the world grew and changed."

"As for the Djinn and Matthew?"

"I- well, Echo mostly, but we think that this 'Matthew' is our friend reincarnated."

The it was: the whole heap of insanity. Shade was completely ready for Crade to call 911 and ask for someone to take his vessel to the funny farm.

He didn't. "That's all I wanted to know."

I'm feeling like an idiot now. 

{Good. You are one.}

The archeologist stood. "Could we resume this conversation later? How about at the VHM on Thursday? 'Round two?" _What's the VHM? Oh well, we have all of tomorrow to figure that out._

"Uh, sure, Kraden." Picard raised himself slowly from his unreliable seat. "Set, you two." Once again looking out through his vessel's eyes, Shade rode to the door feeling rather relieved and uneasy at the same time.

Picard was nearly out, the door nearly closed, when the Lemurian was asked "Why'd you call me that?"

Picard Piers turned around, gave an amused grin and said "It's complicated" before darting out onto the side walk.

Let him chew on that, he told Shade. We've a lot of chewing to do ourselves. 


	5. to the present Thursday

Vyctori: I've _seen_ the picture in your bio. After looking at so many "Proxans are evil!" things, that was refreshing. Yeah, I'm Pro For Proxans or PFP as I like to call it.

"EE-ee-ee!"? Prepare for a _lot_ more "EE-ee-ee"ing because the Proxans are popping in, and Math is going to figure out why he keeps writing about little 'Miss Violet Eyes'.

Call him Piers all you like! I've got no problems with that. Piers, Picard, (or in my case) Picard Piers, he's still the same guy.

Sorry about the bad spelling. My Spell Checker's…weird and doesn't know what a Lemurian is, so when I impatiently pushed the wrong button, I turned all "Lemurian"s into "Lemuroid"s. I guess I didn't fix it too well. But hey, at least he's not reads from dictionary "resembling lemurs".

Vilya: _You're_ OBHL?!?!?!? Can I join? Please!

Alexditto: I'm sorry but I've nothing to really respond to.

Brennend: _See?_ His hair _wasn't _cut! I never expected so many people would be ticked off at the hair thing.

**End of Response Section**

For Menardi's name I only got two votes after a week, so being the impacient person that I am I flipped a coin, Makrina as heads, Mana as tails. Makrina came up two out of three.

Wait a sec… a week?! That's freakily the longest I've taken to update yet! I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing though…

**Disclaimer:** Rallalon does not own Golden Sun, any of its characters, museums, fits of laughter, stalkers, displays, stupid benches, rings of blue light, a red blur or a ship.

………

"Matthew, why are we here again?" Jen asked him. Again.

"_I_ am meeting up with my 'brother' from my foster family in Russia and his girlfriend. _You_ are tagging along for an unknown reason," he shot back, still looking around, balanced on his tip-toes for the added view. Not that there was a crowd to see over.

__

Who in their right minds would chose to come here, let alone meet up with someone? Jen leaned against the wall between the 'ancient tunic' and the 'chest of valuables' displays. "What're they like?"

"Well, Satornil is a bit weird. He likes to argue a lot. Do you know what time it is?"

"So do you. It's around quarter pass two," she said checking her watch. "Hey, that rhymed!"

"With him, anything you say can be turned against you, but he doesn't really mean anything at all. Arguing for the sake of arguing. Besides that he's cool." Matthew immediately went back to searching. "C'mon, let's see if they're down here." He started walking down a hallway labeled "Chamber of the Sun - "

__

Man, he's changed. He'd never shut up before and now I'm the one that has to keep conversation going! "And his girlfriend?"

"Makrina Zoshchenko? She's not really his girlfriend; he just wishes she was. 'Course he'd never admit it, but I can tell. I don't really know her that well. I hung out with her sister a bit though."

__

He what?! Jen burst out laughing. "You- you went out-" that was all she could say before fits of laughter took over.

Matthew turned a bright red. "Did not! I said I _hung_ out, not _went _out! Kaleriia isn't the kind of person you go out with!" Jen's laughter continued. "It's like how you go out with Ian." The laughter stopped.

"Do not! I don't even see him around anymore! Wait- oh." _Stupid psychology! Hate it when he does that. At least he hasn't brought up Gary. How am I going to explain that?!_

Jen was suddenly finding her cousin's silence a good thing. For the first time, she gave her surroundings more than a passing glance. None of it deserved it. _Boring, dull, duller._ She saw a doorway with strings of beads hanging down from the top, creating a golden sun on a blue background and acting rather door-like. _Next room, let's go!_

The pair stepped through . . ."Wow!" . . . into an amazingly realistic display. Realistic of what, they had yet to find out.

Everywhere else was crammed with stuff seemingly to just take up space. This was different. It was as if they had stepped into a sacred temple. The lights were positioned in a way that cast shadows over the ancient relics, making it easy to imagine that feeling into a reality. The walls weren't painted but instead covered with a rock-like substance that made the room feel like a cavern. The floor was greenish stone. Jen couldn't see were one slab stopped and another began. _Is it all one piece?_ she thought, tapping it with her foot.

In each corner was a statue, only one looking even mostly complete. That one was missing its head and an entire shoulder along with everything attached to it. The one armed figure was holding a badly cracked orb in its remaining hand.

In the center of the room was yet another statue, somehow appearing undamaged except for a few cracks and missing chunks here and there. It was of a robed woman with her hands outstretched as if offering the items placed in them. The details of her face were completely worn away, but she seemed to be glaring a Jen for daring to interrupt the holy silence with her exclamation.

__

This all looks . . . so familiar.

The statue wasn't the only one looking at her. Surrounded by this wonderment, she hadn't noticed the others inside the chamber. Their was a man on the opposite side of the room. He was rather nondescript and didn't hold her interest for long. It was the pair in the middle, inspecting the disapproving sculpture that did.

"Satornil! Makrina!" Matthew called out in a whisper. He too had realized how wrong it felt to speak loudly.

Satornil turned around with a grin and beckoned him over, not wanting to speak unless needed either.

Her cousin had definitely changed. Always including her in the past, he paid her nearly no mind at all now, going straight to his new friends. Jen stood by herself, feeling rather out of place. It wasn't something she enjoyed.

She tried not listening to what the black haired man was saying to Matthew, but in the quiet room even their whispers were loud. As much as she wanted to stay in the chamber, the feeling of being excluded drove her out though the other door. _He won't even notice._ It was a bitter thought. _He spends all year with them and doesn't miss me a bit, but as soon as he gets back he can't wait to see them again?! Fine!_ Those were angry thoughts.

__

Bam!

__

That was a stupid bench some moron put in the middle of the hallway. It was stupid, but Jen sat down on it anyway, massaging her knee, muttering her "angry words".

Someone put their hand on her shoulder. She tensed up so fast, she couldn't breathe. "Are you alright, miss?" _Great, I nearly jump out of my skin because of him, and he just wants to know if I'm alright. _A shiver went down her spine.

She quickly brushed his hand off and hurriedly stood up. "I'm _fine_," she replied, turning to face him. And saw the most amazing pair of eyes. _Got to be contacts. Only cats have eyes that color._ She had expected an old guy because of the "miss" but Satornil looked older than him, and he was twenty-one.

"Well, it certainly looks like you are." _What…? Hey, the pain's gone!_ "Alright then, bye," he said before walking away to join his companion who actually _was_ an old guy. She studied the pair scrutinizing over a pair of tablets, talking with muted voices.

__

What was his deal? He had been looking at her as if he knew her. Not a "Haven't I seen you in science class?" knowing, a _big_ knowing. But she sure as heck didn't know him. There was no way she would forget a guy with blue hair. Maybe he was stalking her! _I have _got_ to stop thinking. I'm creeping myself out._

"Jen!" Matthew cried out, bursting through the doorway and dashing to her side. "You should go off like that; Mom would kill me if I lost you!"

Even though she was scowling, she grinned inwardly. _Some things never change_. "It's not like I'm going to get kidnapped here."

He took a long look at the blue haired guy before replying in a hushed voice, "I've seen him before. He's . . . weird. He was at Doc- uh, Dr. Crade's library and pulled some funny stuff. Stay away from him."

Was he trying to frighten her or something? "Ok, ok."

"Promise me." There was a look in his eyes she had never seen there before. Matthew was scared. And if Matthew was scared of this guy, then she should be too.

"Promise," she pledged, studying the person that could make her cousin freak out like this. _Wait a sec._ "Hey, isn't that Ol' Crade he's talking to?"

"_What?!_ It _is_ him. How…?"

Crade turned from the tablet he had been studying as the other spoke to him. "Hey, Matthew."

__

What the? Crade knows him by name?

Stranger still was how Matthew answered. "Hey, Doc." _Doc?!_ "What's, uh, going on?" he asked with a nod at Crade's new friend.

Crade and his friend gave each other a look before answering in unison: "It's complicated."

"I'd still like to hear it," her cousin persisted.

"Hear about what?" asked a woman with a strong accent. _Great._ Jen turned to face the pair and got her first real look at them.

The first thing that she thought of when she saw Makrina was: _If her sister looks half as beautiful as she does, I wouldn't blame Matthew for going out with her just for that._ With long, flowing blond hair curling lightly at the ends, her over-all frame, close-to-perfect face and impressive eyes, it was a wonder why she wasn't a model. Jen knew at least one reason why Satornil liked her.

Speaking of Satornil, he was . . . _tall_. Standing beside Makrina, he looked tall. Makrina was a good three inches taller than Jen. And Makrina came up to his chin at best. His slightly curly brown-black hair rose up a little, like a natural mohawk, giving him even _more_ height or at least the illusion of it. His black eyes swept from face to face, trying to see who would answer his crush's question. His gaze finally landed on the blue haired guy.

Who was looking like he was arguing with someone inside his head. _That's . . . freaky._ He gave a slight nod, as if he agreed with the voice or voices. "Who are you?"

………

Satornil was rather taken aback by the man's behavior. Even so, he answered. "Satornil Dolgorukii. Who are you?"

"I am Picard Piers." Piers went back to his mental debate, his eyes never leaving Sat's face.

__

That's . . . unnerving.

Piers appeared to have come to some sort of conclusion. "I wish to keep this conversation private. If you and your companion would excuse us?"

Satornil's mind raced, trying to find a reason for staying. He came up empty. Makrina's silence proved she had nothing too. Reluctantly, he nodded. "Meet us back inside when you're done," he told Math. With that, the pair turned about and went back into the exhibit.

Two quick steps inside, the pain hit him again. He instinctually grabbed at his left shoulder, its temporary tenderness turning the protective contact into an assault. A gasp escaped him through gritted teeth. "Dolgorukii, what's wrong?" He transferred his grip to his elbows, hoping the tenseness in his crossed arms would stop the pain. _It'll stop, it'll stop, it'll stop…_

"Stay there. Don't move." That did_ not_ sound good. Sat turned his head slightly for a view of the man ordering them. _Definitely not good._ He had a _gun_. And less importantly, in the other hand was a glass-cutter. _A thief!_

And of course Matthew chose that moment to come on in. "Wha- aah!" From there things only got worse. And it happened fast.

The old man and the girl followed in before taking notice of the metal weapon. Piers, who had been right behind them, either unaware or unafraid of the gun, kept walking towards the man, trying to calm him down.

The group was set up like this: Satornil, Makrina, Matthew, the old guy and the girl were clustered by one door with Satornil _very_ much in pain. Piers and the theif were on opposite sides of the center statue. Piers made to go around –

**__**

Bang!

The man fired.

The girl screamed.

Piers fell to the floor with a gasp of breath.

And…_ glowed._

A red blur zoomed out of him, racing to get behind the attacker. Once behind, it did a 180° and blasted back. To miss by a millimeter as the man moved ever so slightly, completely unaware of the close shave.

Its momentum carried it forward. It crashed into the relic that immediately broke at the place of impact. Both statue and blur continued their movement, the blur landing on the girl's head and the statue heavily tumbled onto Piers' legs.

An alarm went off. Matthew's cousin was yelling, "Get it off! Get it off!" The gunman fled as the sound of a security guard's pounding footsteps met his ears.

Over all the noise of panic and the alarm, plus his own pain, it was a wonder that Satornil heard it. It was one word, choked out by Piers, drained and light-headed from blood-loss. "Lemuria…"

Blue rings of light surrounded him, spreading outwards. The floor lurched under Satornil's feet as the loops enveloped the group and fromed a glowing sphere. With a cry, he fell onto the wooden floor. He squezed his eyes shut.

Despite that fact that it seemed to be spinning around him, the world went eerily calm. There was a smell though. One that he couldn't recognize immediately.

Then the sound came back: "What the…?" "Oh. My. God. Where the heck are we?!" "Picard! Picard, wake up!" "Get it off of me!"

Despite himself, Satornil opened his eyes. He saw the sky. The open clear sky. And the smell… He smelled salt water. He sat up and saw the wooden floor for what it really was: a deck. He was on a ship. In not even thirty seconds, he had gone from a peaceful day, to being _shot_ at, to being on a boat in the middle of the ocean!

A quick look told him that everyone else, minus the robber was there. _Whereever here is._

Matthew was attempting to get whatever it was off of his cousin without actually touching it. Makrina and the old man were inspecting Piers who _still_ had the statue ontop of him. Besides that he looked fine… Until Makrina stopped blocking his view.

He ran to the side and puked up what felt like everything he had ever eaten. It could've been that Satornil got seasick easily.

It also could've been the blood seeping of out of Piers' body.


	6. to the present Thursday at 5:36 PM

Vyctori: **_BRUNT TO DEALTH?!?!?!?! WHO THE HECK WOULD DO THAT TO HIM?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?_** ::deep breath:: Ok, I'm better now, but I'm gonna have to borrow Vilya's OBHL big stick. The "registered trade mark" sign _was_ an arrow sign before I uploaded it. Unfortunately, I can't comfort you on the Sat issue without giving away some good stuff. Still, I can thank you for having so much good artwork of Picard Piers; that's where I owe a lot of my description of him for this chapter.

Vilya: ::from behind Angry Reviewer Shield:: It's not like he's dead; he's a Mercury Adept for crying out loud! With Breath, Spring and Fizz!

Alexditto: Thanks for the tip! You're very helpful.

****

End of Response Section

Sorry about leaving you guys with that cliffhanger for so long. I just couldn't decide whose perspective the chapter would start with. And fine, it's short. I promise the next one will be longer.

**Disclaimer:** Rallalon does not own Golden Sun, any of its characters, senators, banishment, arguing, the phrase "The metal stick", newsladies or pranks.

………

"Face it, Andrew: he's not coming back," declared the gray-haired senator seated before him.

Andrew stood his ground. (He would have sat his ground, but he wasn't permitted to sit on account of their difference of rank.) "The sire has always returned in the past; he will again. Whatever happened to the fact that he hasn't even been gone for a month yet? What's the amount of time that the Senate must wait for him to be presumed dead? Five years, is it not?"

"When you take into account that _no one_ is permitted to leave, if he isn't dead, he should be banished," said another.

"And let the entire world witness his nearly eternal youth? I think not," countered a third.

__

Good old Lord Crest. While he never openly sided with Andrew, the man would find and flaunt the flaws in any plan to rid their land of her ruler. An excellent tactic of discouragement. If Crest could be allowed time to foster the reality of how obscure the Majesty's banishment was… _Then all I need to do is get out of his way for him to discuss it,_ Andrew concluded.

As if on cue, a Djinni flew through the window at top speed and lighted on his shoulder. Once the creature of Jupiter was sure all had seen it, it Set itself.

Picard needs you right now. Get Quartz or Dew, but preferably Tinder,Gust told him with urgency.

A parting excuse, three Djinn and a ship ride later, Andrew saw a few things he thought he'd never see in the act of boarding the _Seamist_ from his own humbler _Boreas_. As he jumped up to the wings of the great ship, he saw people he didn't know. Foreigners. The shock from that alone was so great he nearly didn't grab onto the ship's side.

There were four, no, five of them. Four of them, two men and two women, were standing back from the fifth. The fifth, most likely the oldest of the group was kneeling by something and surrounded by Djinn.

The recognition of what the something was sent him vaulting over the _Seamist_'s side on onto her deck. He didn't even remember closing the distance to the side of the man lying in his own blood. He didn't pause to wonder how a statue had fallen on him from nowhere either.

With the full sight of man's face, Andrew found he couldn't breathe. Unheeding the words of the old foreigner, he slowly bent and with a hand hesitant of touching his superior, tapped the man's cold cheek. He found the act of inhaling impossible. _No…_

{Hello! Unleashing us anytime soon?} Tinder inquired, spurring him on. {He's not dead yet!}

R-r-really? he questioned the Djinni, unsure yet hopeful.

((I've _seen_ dead people and that is not a dead person!))

And so, after a brief struggle to find his voice, he called out each Djinni's name in turn. From Tinder, came warmth. From Quartz, came feeling. From Dew, came that little shock of wetness good for waking people up. _Please work, please work, please work…_

Andrew watched and listened with concealed joy when the other's golden eyes opened as he rasped out ten words: "Lifting Gem, in my pocket. Get this off of me."

………

Standing back along with his cousin and friends, Matthew watched the newly arrived man. Looking to be around forty or so, it was apparent that he cared much for Picard. _Might be his dad,_ he speculated. _I wonder if the hair's genetic._ The man shone as three _more_ monsters flew out of him and into Picard. _How many of those things are there?_

"So far, twelve if I haven't counted any twice," Jen answered.

What? Oh, he had said that aloud, hadn't he? He turned his attention to something more usual and less unnerving: Makrina and Satornil arguing.

"Let me see your shoulder!" she protested, grabbing his arm.

"It's fine!" he insisted, yanking his arm away.

"Then why wouldn't you let me see it!" she countered.

"Because it's fine!" _Nice tactic._ Satornil knew that if Makrina smiled, his resolve would be thrown over board. Now she was so ticked there was zero chance of that happening.

Without warning, a cold chill went down his spine. Satornil and Makrina seemed to have felt it too as they had both shut up. Satornil's mouth had fallen open as Makrina's did the same.

Matthew felt a slight tug on his arm. "Look," his cousin said.

Azure rings floated up from the stranger's feet to disappear at his head. That wasn't the strange part though. Oh no, it was the **_freakn' floatn' statue!!!_** "Is that…_real_?" he breathed.

The four of then watched in a stupor as Picard pulled himself out from under it, pushing and pulling weakly with his arms and legs. Doc helped him sit up once out from under the shadow of the floating relic. Picard himself generated more blue rings and seemed to be relieved from pain by it.

"What happened?" Picard inquired.

"You were shot," Doc supplied. "Where are we?"

"Near Lemuria but I didn't want to bring the rest of you with me," he answered as if it made perfect sense. "Wait, where's the arrow?" he asked, completely serious.

"You were shot by a gun." He continued at Picard's blank look. "You know, a gun. The thing the burglar was holding."

"The metal stick?"

Doc gave him a "Are you serious?" look. "Yes, the metal stick."

Picard considered this for a moment, muttering something along the lines of "What a _small_ rifle", before greeting the older man. Who immediately started babbling in some language. Picard held up a hand and the flow of words stopped instantly, allowing him to speak.

__

Something tells me that's not_ his dad._

In fact, it was as if the roles were reversed. Picard's calmness seemed to flow into the other man as Picard spoke to him. Every once in a while he would gesture to the foursome still standing back or to Doc who was clearly not following the conversation.

Once done speaking, Picard stood and turned to them. "I'm sorry about all of this. I'll take us back right away," he promised as his hand searched for something in his pocket. He suddenly had the look of one about to board an airplane when he finds his ticket's gone. "Gust, Breath, drop the illusion; I need to be able to see myself."

__

Wha- oh!

Suddenly it was different man standing there. No, it _was_ Picard, but his hair was long and tied back in a braid above some sort of headband that, in the back, continued down past his elbows. It was a light blue touched by splashes of creamy gold.

Gone were the jeans and gray T-shirt; he was now donned with a jacket with the color of a dark sea at night over shirt the same shade of his headband. Both had very short sleeves and were rather tunic-like, the shirt going past his waist and the jacket to his knees. Their edges were lined with more of the golden color and marred only by a fierce bloodstain.

In place of his sneakers were boots almost knee high, blue once again with a brown fold-over at the top. In another time, he could've been a brave and wounded captain setting out on an adventure of mighty importance with his headdress rippling in the salty breeze.

Right then, he was a teenager frantically searching through his pockets.

He turned and spoke frantically to the other who shook his head and held up a pink-red gem as if to say "That's it."

Picard paled. "Uh-oh."

………

Sitting on the lumpy couch, Ian flipped through the channels. _Soap opera, soap opera, real opera, history channel, Spongebob Squarepants, might come back to that, Spanish channel…_

What was the point of cable if there _still_ was nothing to watch? He checked the newly programmed clock on the VCR. 5:36. _Twenty-four minutes to Stargate._

He continued flipping until he heard a news lady remark: "…Valley History Museum. The burglar was caught but the witnesses got away in a matter of speaking."

The image in the corner of the screen grew to something Ian could make out. It was a shot from a security camera in a dimly lit room. There was only one person in the shot. Ian assumed it was the thief. "The robber, now identified as Robert Hunter, was attempting to steal artifacts from the Chamber of the Sun exhibit earlier today."

The clip played until a pair of people, one blond, one black-haired, came in through one of the two doors. The black-haired one grabbed at his shoulder. "It's unknown if this student, identified as Satornil Dolgorukii, was shot or simply had a pain of his own. But this unidentified young man," the clip fast-forwarded and four more people entered, "who was in the effort of calming Hunter down _was_ nailed by a bullet."

A gunshot sounded and a blue-haired man fell. Then he _glowed._ _Could that've been… No way._ The newslady seemed to not notice the glow.

The clip slowed down and focused on a speeding blur. "This is at one fourth the actual speed and whatever this red thing is, it's going faster than a bullet." The blur zoomed about before ramming past Hunter and into the statue had had been removing artifacts from. The statue fell in slow motion, landing atop the blue-haired man. The shot included a close-up of his face. It _was_ Picard!

"Hunter ran at the sound of the alarm set of by the little UFO, but this is where the story gets peculiar." The clip zoomed out again, focusing on the group.

Picard started to glow, and blue rings of light surrounded him. The rings spread until they enveloped the group and Ian couldn't see any of them. Then just like that, they were gone. The rings, Picard, Satornil Dolgorukii, everybody. In their place was a small block on the floor.

"Gone leaving only one trace," The clip changed to a close-up and well-lit shot of the block. It was small, but cool looking. It was either blue or dark purple and shone in an interesting way. "but not a very good trace with six people missing. Satornil Dolgorukii and Makrina Zoshchenko." A picture of the pair filled the screen.

"Cousins Matthew and Jennifer Gardner." Another picture appeared, one that Ian knew. It had been taken right before Math's trip to Russia. Ian knew on account that he had been in it; the news people had edited him out.

Ian turned the TV off. Suddenly watching Teal'c kick butt on the Sci Fi channel wasn't as important to him anymore.

It had to be some kind of prank. It had to be. His best buds couldn't be missing. Could they?


	7. to present day Lemuria

Vyctori: Yes, Lord Conservato is finally dead. You have no idea _how_ dead. But you will. Oh, and sorry for the confusion, but it was the Teleport Lapis, not the Black Orb.

Alexditto: I changed it to "color of a dark sea at night". I'm not really sure where the previous comparison came from, though. But they will use Psynergy. Kinda', sorta'. Eventually. Also, that wasn't meant to be foreshadowing but there are definite possibilities for. ponders

BTFreek: Thanks!

Eternal Outcast: Yeah! Why don't more people like Proxans? shrugs Oh, well. Sorry about confusing you; I seem to be doing that to people a lot. --;;

Kadevi: Thanks! I like being original.

Akiko: Cool! Another major author reviewing me! O

remba1: Sup, to you too and I don't really know why I'm responding to your review like this 'cause I could just pick up the phone and call you or just talk to you tomorrow unless you're reading this on a Friday or a Saturday or are sick or something, but I'm responding to you anyway! Isn't that great? Hey, look! I haven't used any periods either!

Yoshimi Takahashi: Yet _another_ major author! 0 And since you asked so nicely, well, here you go. You're going to have to wait a while if you want me to update Golden Sung, though.

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End of Response Section

Hey, I said this chapter would be long and here it is: twice the length of the last one. That means I expect your reviews to be twice as long.

I'm saying this once again, just to try to avoid any_more_ confusion, _Italics_ will be used for dreams/flashbacks/other weird thingies.

****

Disclaimer: Rallalon doesn't own Golden Sun or any of its characters, the word "Boomarangeantoodooloodoos!" that was used in a response to Khorne, the ChaosMage because it belongs to remba1, old puffballs, skiffs, funny accents, tugs/yanks, relics and wooden swords.

………

{How in Weyard can you lose the Teleport Lapis while teleporting?!}

I _don't know_ Torch, but I'm starting to think I should've brought Forge instead! Picard argued while steering the _Seamist_.

{Garet liked me better!}

__

As if that made any difference in recognizing him.

Ah, at last! The entrance to the docks! Why did he find that so relaxing? He was going to have to confront the senators again. He _hated_ that. This just wasn't his day.

A quick glance told him that all workers supposed to be building and adding onto the tunnels were nowhere to be found. Not good. He was probably already assumed dead. And with him finally dead, why continue the attempt to make Lemuria flourish in hopes of one day being ready to rejoin the outside world?

Echo, go warn the senators I'm coming. They'll want time to prepare and if they don't get it, there will be chaos, and I will be blamed for it. 

"I'm on it!" the Djinni called back, already flying off.

"He's on what?" Crade asked. He seemed to be the only one still talking to him after his little "transformation". Except for Andrew, but only at times direct order would silence the boy. Thankfully, he was back on the _Boreas _and sailing behind them.

Picard laughed. Boy. He needed to decide wither he should act his age or act his appearance. How he waited for his first gray hair! Even with, the old puffballs would still forget he was older than they were. Old puffballs. He found he couldn't stop laughing.

"Picard?"

He stiffed his laughter. "What, Dr. Crade?"

"What's Echo on?"

"Telling the senators I'm alive."

"I'm sure they'll be glad to hear it." What?! The man looked positively serious! It _had_ to be a joke.

He laughed. "Of course! They've only tried to assassinate me once! That's two less then the last bunch."

Crade raised an eyebrow. "Assassinate you from what?"

So here ended the fun. _It was nice while it lasted._ "The throne of Lemuria," he muttered to the ship's helm.

Crade seemed to sense his damped mood. He was silent for a while. Then…"Why are they staring at me?" he inquired, pointing to a small group of young fishermen out on a skiff. Who immediately looked away.

Then again… who said the fun had to end right away? "I'll ask them," he assured Crade before cheerfully calling out the boys in Lemurian. "Ahoy! Never seen a foreigner before?"

The three looked at each other, trying to get someone else respond to him. After all, there was only one person with a winged ship. Finally one, appearing to be the oldest, not that appearance counted for anything, yelled back: "No, sire!" He found the nerve to summon up some curiosity. "What is his business here? If I'm not being too forward, Majesty!"

"He's a doctor of archeology! Guess who he's studying!"

Laughter escaped the boy and one of his companions. "Farewell, Majesty!" he called out as the _Seamist_ sailed past. The other two echoed him.

"Pray that it is so! I've already been shot by a _stick_ today!" The look on their faces was _priceless_.

__

So much for today being bad, he thought with a smile as he reported back to Crade. _Not too bad at all._

The feeling didn't last long. The instant the _Seamist_ was docked in her usual spot with the _Boreas_ next to her, the task of confronting the senators loomed over him like a dark cloud.

Leaving brief instructions with Andrew to show the foreigners around and warning Crade of the incessant questions he'd be asked, he disembarked and strode purposefully ahead. He had to stop himself from looking back wistfully at his ship. He sorely missed the days when he could just hop onboard and sail to wherever his heart lead him. Even after a million years, he still wasn't used to political duties and the restrictions that came with them.

Up the misty stairs, he climbed, breathing in the salty air, trying to find his inner center from which he would not be shaken. A simple trip to the outside world was nothing he could be given penance for, but he hadn't had a simple trip. He'd brought outsiders back. The secret of Lemuria was leaking even as he approached the Senate House. He could turn that to his advantage in making Lemuria rejoin the world, but the kingdom of barely three hundred people wasn't ready yet. His own ignorance of modern weaponry was enough to show that.

{Even worse, you've lost the Teleport Lapis.}

((Is that even possible?))

[Apparently.]

With his hands folded behind his back and his chin up slightly, the most regal position he could carry off, he walked up the last steps to the where he would soon be debating; only remembering to Restore his clothes to their normal, unbloodied appearance at the last moment. The last thing he wanted the senators to think was that he was an injured and easy target.

Upon entering, Echo alighted on his shoulder, briefing him on what had happened, quoting the words of the senators exactly. "Crest was winning them over on how banishing you was a bad idea when I came in."

__

About time they figured that out. "And what did you tell them?" he prodded as he made a beeline to the conference room.

"That outsiders had come. I didn't say how, just that you were with them. And that it might be hard getting them back home."

"And what, do they want to keep them here like they did Lunpa?"

"No. When you consider how long he's been dead, it'd be a wonder if they've even heard of the man."

Picard's mood sunk even lower. "Seems so…"

"Picard, I'm sorry."

"Shh!" he shushed, stopping at the great and heavy wooden doors blocking his path. "I'm going to make an impressive entrance." He dug around his pocket once more until he found what he was looking for. He then clasped his hands behind him again, hiding the item from view.

"Force."

The doors sprung open, not hard enough to send them flying off the hinges, but not weak enough to let them close immediately. All talk quieted in a heartbeat. He walked though at an unhurried pace, seeming confident that the doors wouldn't close in front of him. With a perfectly straight face, he slowly paced around the table to his seat, eyeing each senator carefully.

Each glance he received only cemented what he had thought previously. _This will take awhile…_

………

Matthew wasn't sure if he should be bored out of his mind or ready to jump out of his skin. Andrew had been taking them on a tour of…wherever they where. He was starting to feel like he had been kidnapped to a bizarre summer school. First it was Picard with the monsters and teleportation, now it was droning Andrew with the funny accent.

Fine, so maybe Picard had a funny accent, too. But even with the monsters he was towing around, Matthew was still disappointed to see him go.

And Andrew wasn't exactly droning. He was just impressed by history a _lot_ more than Matthew was. Doc seemed to be having fun despite how bad Andrew's English was. He seemed to have trouble with his numbers, calling things hundreds of years old and saying he remembered when they where built.

Currently, the group was inside a building that he had called "the palace". Matthew would've said it was a mansion at best. Still, the ancient construction was impressive, in a ruin-like sort of way. It gave him the feeling of amazing age, even more of it than the exhibit at the museum did. It didn't give him the feeling that he was disturbing something that should be left alone, though.

He could easily imagine knights, bruised and bloody, running down the hall to warn their ruler that they were under siege. That's how old it seemed, that there'd be knights. No, it was older than that, so old he couldn't make a comparison.

__

Maybe Andrew's right to be that impressed. That still didn't make Matthew want to tune in though. _Huh?_

He had felt something, a… a tug. Maybe just his imagination playing tricks; he was stressed out enough for it to be.

"Matthew!" Jen called as the rest started moving off to another section of hallway. She was going around the corner slowly, trying not to lose either their guide or her cousin.

"Coming," he assured her. He was when he felt the tug again. Without a conscious decision, he turned about and strode to a door he hadn't been though. Come to think of it, Andrew hadn't even mentioned what was inside. He paused.

The tug came back, harder, longer. A yank. Matthew's hand flew to the handle. He hadn't wanted to, but in a way he didn't understand, he just _had _to. He turned it, pushed the door open, and stepped inside.

It was dark. The only light, besides that shining in though the doorway, was flowing down between small cracks in the ceiling, illuminate motes of dust floating about. Matthew had thought the room had simply fallen into disuse and was about to leave when the tug hit again.

So he stayed.

His eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light. The room was small and rectangular, he could see that easily. Some public bathrooms were bigger, but certainly this was no lavatory.

The long wall without the door in it was lined with bookshelves. _A library?_ He'd finally found one smaller than Doc's. There, against the left wall, were a couple chairs for the readers to sit in.

Matthew heaved a sigh. From disappointment or relief, he couldn't tell. He had expected something, something that could've drawn him in here. _Maybe it was just my imagination._ It had done things like that to him enough.

__

No. He didn't need the tug to tell him to be there. He walked to the center of the room and took everything in. There was a cabinet on the same wall the door was in. He hadn't noticed it from his prior position.

He went forward to peer at the contained items though the murky glass of the cabinet doors. Finding it was too hard to see in the dim lighting, he gently opened them and peeked in.

A bunch of green beads strung together with a coarse string and a metal staff. Another staff, wooden this time with red stripes. A heavy looking sword, in a sheath with a square bottom. Beside it, a black book decked with strange symbols. Yet another staff, green until a little bit before the yellow top that made Matthew think of a horse with a spiky mane.

His heart skipped a beat for an unknown reason, at the sight of the next item: another shealthed sword. The shealth was leather and long, with metal at the bottom, most likely so the blade wouldn't stab its way through.

That was what had tugged at him. That was why he was there. He couldn't explain it, but as strange as it was, it felt right; he was supposed to be standing before this weapon. At any other time, he would've felt like a fool reaching forward for the hilt. Not then. Not for that hilt.

The blade made a slight whisper slipping free of its shealth. The blade was in his hand and still the whispers continued, forming undeterminable words. Matthew felt a presence as the whispers grew in volume, showing themselves to be part of a language he didn't know. Still more the volume grew and with it, his understanding of the words. The presence was stronger.

Matthew wheeled about, the blade in his hand shining without reflecting. The glow caused him to look down at–

__

–the wooden sword skeptically. "I thought you said I'd get a real sword."

"And you have a real sword. Made from wood," his strangely colored comrade said. "Come on, more practicing, less whining."

He sighed. "What now?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Stances," was the one-word reply as the older flowed into a starting position.

Bait the Fish. Good for testing your opponent's strength and easy to counter from unless the opponent uses a thrusting technique,_ he mentally recited as he copied. _Striking Eagle…

The pair went from stance to stance, practicing a deadly dance. On and on, they went as Sol moved ever lower, allowing the chill of Luna to retake the already freezing landscape. The only sound that could be heard was the cry of the wind, the sound of wooden weapons cutting though air, the crunch of the snow under-foot.

And the constant criticisms of the swordsman to his squire: "Lower your left arm. Do you want_ a blade up your armpit?" "Turn your hand around. No, the _other_ way." "Loosen up your hand; this isn't time for a death grip." "Faster!" "Don't twitch! The transition from stance to stance should be smooth and leave no more openings than necessary!"_

And finally: "Let's see how much you've improved." It was the moment the squire both longed for and dreaded. It was the ending of the lesson. And the beginning of the bruising.

Maybe he would've done better if he had a more positive mind set, maybe he would fight better if his life depended on it, maybe a true_ sword would make him good enough._

Maybe Sol would turn green.

Crack!!! _The wooden blades hit, one strong and true, the other only managing to block._

Crack, crack! Crack!! The pair danced on, the swordsman striking, flowing, moving, the squire tired and weakening. Soon the swordsman would stop and let him rest. Just one more attack…

__

Clang!!!!!

Vibrations ran up Matthew's arm unpleasantly and strong enough to make him drop the blade. _What the...?_ He found himself staring into a pair of golden eyes. _Mariner…what? When did he get here?_

Picard immediately snatched up the sword and sheathed it before returning it gently, but quickly, back to it spot in the cabinet. "See? Simple," the blue-haired man said, directing his comment toward the doorway.

And there everyone was, staring at Matthew like he had gone insane.

He took a few moments to summon up what he said next, not quite sure he wanted to hear the answer. "What happened?"

"We were hoping you could tell us," Jen replied. "You said you were coming."

"You scared the heck out of us," Doc admitted. "You didn't respond to anything. Well, besides what Picard just did."

This made him more uncomfortable than anything else had yet. "And what did you do?" he asked, trying to keep his voice steady. If it shook, Picard took no notice.

"I recognized the sword-work you where doing and predicted when you would be off balance. I was planning to shock you out of it and my plan seems to have succeeded," he explained, holding up a blade of his own as proof.

"Sword-work?" The only sword-work Matthew could do was the little fencing he had learned at camp. The very _bad_ fencing he learned at camp.

"It might've been an effect from keeping the Sol Blade so close to the Tomegathericon for all these years." Whatever _that_ meant. "Perhaps we should continue this in the morning?"

"_What?!_ You said you could take us back _today!_"

"Matthew, right now, it's tonight," Makrina corrected.

"How…? I-I just picked that thing up. Just a couple seconds ago."

"How do you feel?" Picard asked.

His arms hurt like he'd been lifting weights all day. Not that he'd admit it. "I feel… fine."

With those three words, he fell asleep on the spot.

………

Satornil closed the door to the room he'd been given for the night. It wasn't big or fancy, but the bed looked comfortable, there was a rug instead of the cold stone floor, he had a window with a good view and curtains, and the window had a desk and a chair under it.

As much as his friend's issue was bugging him, his own weighed _much_ more heavily on his mind. So he closed the curtains, grabbed the chair, and jammed it under the doorknob.

Knowing that he would stop if he lost momentum, he threw off his shirt and took a tentative glance at his shoulders. What he saw made him want to puke. What had once been skin hardened into a fingernail-like substance was now harder looking.

With a gulp, he poked it. Bone hard. There was no feeling, no pain, no nothing. The no pain when he prodded the border between skin and…whatever it was. Before that would've killed. But not now.

The only other difference that he could see was that it was dividing up into little plates.

Scales.

………

Picard made his way down to the _Seamist_. He only slept on the ship when he was out sailing/adventuring, wanted to stargaze, or needed to relax. It felt like all three as he took in the beauty of a cloudless night.

No one was up at this time, making it easy for him to get to the docks without having to deal with anyone. Sometimes it felt like Andrew was the only one on his side and sometimes he would rather to _not_ have the boy on his side. It was obvious he meant well, but he just got annoying sometimes.

Completely alone, not even with Shade or Spring, he boarded his ship. _Hmm? _If he was completely alone, then why did he sense a large amount of Psynergy nearby? He had accredited it to the group of Adepts that had been on board previously, but none of them were aligned to Jupiter.

His senses directed him to the statue lying on the deck. _An after effect from being Lifted?_ No, Andrew had done that, and even with all his strength, he wouldn't have equaled the might contained in the relic.

__

Then what…? he pondered as he bent down for a better look. Even though all he had to see by was the light of the moon and stars, he saw a glass case set into the statues hands. He had noticed it before but had paid it no mind. Now he did.

There lay the source, or sources, for the Psynergetic power. But what was inside?

The mariner grinned at the sight of the four small items within. Earlier that day, he had been shot, then had had to speak with a roomful of ticked off puffballs for _hours_, and had just found out that the Sol Blade was probably cursed.

But who said it couldn't be a good day?

………

__

He watched her pray at the monument as he had seen her do countless times. Her head was bowed, her white hair tied back loosely, the halos of Psynergy making her look like the angel he knew she was. So peaceful looking.

Then why did his gut say otherwise?

Her flow of Psynergy slowed to a stop as she turned and raised her violet eyes to his. "Felix! You're still here."

"As if I'd be anywhere else. What's the forecast for the morrow?"

It took her a while before responding. "It'll be the most beautiful day you'll ever see."

"And it'll be the same for you, unless your days are that much better than mine."

Sheba didn't respond immediately. She gazed at the buildings around her, her home of Lalivero. She wore an expression he had only seen once. And had never wanted to see again. Mariner had worn that look when leaving Lemuria. His gut screamed out a warning.

She hugged him tightly. "I-I love you." Her voice wavered as badly as it had when she had said those words for the first time.

"I love you, too." Instead of taking comfort in that, she started to shake in his arms. Was she crying?

"Felix, I-I," she took a breath to steady herself. "I'm going to die today."

He pulled her closer protectively. "No, you're not."

"My heart's going to give out in a few moments."

"No, it's not." He insisted from pure stubbornness.

"I saw it, Felix."

He winced. Her ability to foresee things, a power he was thankful for, a power he despised. He couldn't protect her from what she saw anymore than a rock could fly.

Sheba gasped in pain, clutchig her arm. "Cure. Cure!_" Nothing; her pain persisted._

"F-felix…._" She breathed. She didn't inhale after that._

His gut said it was pointless but he tried anyway. "Revive! Revive!!!_" He sent all his Psynergy into her trying to wake her. He found nothing to waken._

Just like that, she was gone. Gone like Saturos and Menardi. Like Karst, Agatio and Alex. Like Mia, Isaac and Garet. Like Ivan, Hama and Kraden.

Like Jenna.

How could she be so cold in the noon heat? How could she be so limp in his embrace? Where was the laughter in her eyes, the warmth of her gaze that was now so empty? Where was the presence of her Psynergy, with its feel of a caressing breeze? Why had her loving heart failed her?

Not knowing the answers or even who she was, Matthew cried in his sleep.


	8. to the present Friday morning

Vyctori: I don't think my fic's _that_ good, but if you want to think so, I have no problems with it. I can't tell you what you guessed wrong or right, because that would spoil the plot but I can say this: enjoy the flashback.

Psy-chan: Don't worry, there will be a _lot_ of long chapters. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to get all my stuff in.

Eternal Outcast: Hello again!

remba1: You've outdone your self this time. And his full name is Matthew. The nickname will be explained…uh…sometime.

Vilya: Math isn't Felix; he's Felix reincarnated. What's the difference, you ask? Well…. Where's the fun in telling you now?

BTFreek: I'm using Picard as his first name and Piers as his last name. There will be more stuff later on why the senators want Picard out of office (and in the grave).

Alexditto: It's not a young life crisis, but a _past_ life crisis.

GoldenDaydreamer: Thanks! I wasn't sure if the advice was taken as advice or nagging, so hearing from you is a bit of a relief.

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End of Response Section

Wow, it's been over a week since I've updated! That means this fic has been in existence for over a month now! Cool.

The main reason for the delay is this: I couldn't decide on whose perspectives to do the chapter in. There's so much weird stuff that's so completely out of my experience that I'm not sure how the characters should respond to it.

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Disclaimer: Rallalon doesn't own Golden Sun, any of its characters or items, rolling off of stuff, funny accents, early morning, impulses/tugs, constellations,dead languages.****

………

"Mariner! Mariner, wake up!"

The voice was urgent but Picard took it was part of a dream. After all, no one called him that when he was awake. Not anymore at least.

"_Wake up!_" ordered the voice. Picard was grabbed by the shoulders and shaken roughly. This awoke an instinct as well as the mariner.

He lashed out blindly, hitting an arm. His attacker's grip loosed. He broke free, rolled to the side…

__

Thud!

…and abruptly realized that he had rolled right out of his hammock.

He was winded but didn't stay down for long. He rolled to his feet, this time making sure he wasn't going to fall off of or bash into something. As he did this, he pulled as much moisture out of the air as he could and hardened it. A sword of ice solidified in his hand even as he assumed Winding River, his favorite defense position.

He got his first real look at his opponent and saw… _"Matthew?"_

Indeed it was. He was holding himself differently, how Picard couldn't say, but some other characteristic was altered. "What are you… why are you here?"

"What's going on?" Matthew asked right back. His words sounded strange. Had the boy always had that accent? It was familiar, so maybe.

The boy also sounded shaken. Was it the sight of the ice sword? Picard released the ice in his grip, letting it go back to its gas form. No, that wasn't it; Matthew had regarded the frozen blade with complete indifference once it was clear Picard didn't mean to attack. That was strange in itself.

"What's going on?" Matthew repeated. That was when the realization hit Picard: those words weren't in English. The mariner switched languages accidentally at least once a week (after all, he knew hundreds of them), but this was the first time he had switched along with anyone else.

__

But what are we speaking? Picard pondered silently before saying out loud "I don't know, Matthew." Frankly, he had no idea at all.

The boy looked shocked. "Mariner," he said with dead seriousness. "It's _me_."

………

A light knocking at the door awoke Makrina. "Miss Zoshchenko?"

__

Andrew. Great. Just because she woke up easily didn't make her a morning person.

More knocking. Great. "I'm awake!" she called, not entirely sure she was telling the truth or speaking English.

"There's a problem with Mr. Gardner. If you could wake Mr. Dolgorukii and meet me outside Dr. Crade's room?" This guy was _way_ too formal, _way_ too early in the morning.

"Fine, sure, whatever."

Which is how she found herself standing outside Satornil's room. "Dolgorukii! Get your butt out of bed!" She punctuated this with a bang on the door.

She was answered with a snore. Normally, she wouldn't have blamed the guy for not waking up before sunrise, but if _she_ had to, then _he_ had to.

Fighting back images of finding him in his boxers (or even without them), she grabbed the doorknob and pushed. Stuck. She pushed harder. Still stuck. She pushed even harder nonetheless.

And the door flew open, letting her topple in, onto a chair that had been wedged against the door. _Why didn't I think of doing that?_ she thought before catching sight of a sleeping Satornil.

A bare-chested sleeping Satornil. He was propped up against the headboard of the bed and was snoring lightly in a sitting position. Not a bad sight except for one thing: _His shoulders…_ Two years ago, she might've thought he had dumped glue over himself then had laid down in a pile of small bluish rocks. This wasn't two years ago.

Unconsciously, she flexed her own shoulders against the inside of her long-sleeved T-shirt.

__

Is that…real? she thought. And felt a tug. Nothing physical, she was sure, just an impulse to touch it. Just a childish little feeling.

Then came another tug, enough to make her step forward and let out a small gasp. Not a loud one; that might've wakened him. _The entire point of being in here is to wake him up!_ she berated herself. Silently.

She found that one step had taken her a lot farther than she had realized. So close that she noticed Satornil's brow tighten and that he looked a little blue. Was it that cold in there? This place must be drafty; the slight breeze, carrying the smell of the sea in though the window, seemed to be almost whispering.

"Sat–

__

–uros," she called out in a whisper. He sprang off of the boulder from where he had been stargazing. He would deny it, but she knew that was what the sentimental warrior had been doing. He always thinks he has to act so tough.

"What is it?" he asked quietly, his ears jerking in a way that threatened to make her laugh, trying to pick out the sounds of any threat.

"Nothing," she answered looking up at him in Luna's light. At the blockhead's confused look, she added, "I don't need an emergency to talk to you."

"Then what do you want to talk about?" he asked, ears still swiveling in all directions.

Instead of bringing up the topic she had in mind, she decided to stall. "Is that Megaera?" she baited, pointing intentionally at the wrong constellation.

"That," he corrected, taking her hand and pointing it at the right group of stars, "is Magaera. That_," his hand guided hers back to the original constellation, "is Iris. Goddess of rainbows, guide of souls."_

He realized at that point how close he was to her and hurriedly released his grip. His ears twitched again, this time conveying embarrassment.

Despite herself, she laughed. He gave her a quizzical look, and the twitching started coming from annoyance. While the twitch originated from an instinct to be intimidating, there was only one thing it was when he did it: funny.

The more she laughed, the more annoyed he became. The more annoyed he became, the more his ears twitched. The more his ears twitched, the more she laughed.

Finally, she stifled her laughter enough reach up and hold the humorous hearing appendages still. "Stop it." His ears went completely still. Not from her command, but from shock.

Saturos was so tall that in order to reach, she had had to stand close. Really_ close. As in, if she got any closer, she'd be standing on his feet. And with her hands over his ears, it was an easy thing to him to misinterpret what she had said. Especially with her pulling down slightly._

Slowly, ever so slowly, he put his arms around her. And then…

"Excuse me for breaking up this romantic little moment," said a million voices as one, "but there's somewhere else you two should be right now."

Makrina found herself staring directly into Satornil's eyes. Directly, as in their noses were about a centimeter apart. The pair broke apart, Makrina stepping backwards and Satornil losing his balance to topple back onto the bed.

One of the little monsters, a brown one, landed lightly beside him. "Come on! Get a shirt on, Prox boy."

"I'll, uh, be outside," Markrina said uncomfortably and headed out of the room as fast as possible. Where she found Piers.

"Have you seen Echo?"

………

"So, what's wrong with him?" Jen demanded. She, Crade, and Andrew were standing outside the room Matthew had collapsed in the previous night. He had been moved to a bed, but had apparently returned there. And they were supposed to stay out until Picard came back.

"He's, uh, well, I, um, I'm not exactly sure," Andrew admitted.

"Then why won't you let us see him?!" This guy was thoroughly getting on her nerves.

"There's no reason now that Echo's here," Picard answered coming around the corner with the before-mentioned Djinni riding on his shoulder. Satornil and Makrina followed in what was obviously an awkward silence.

"Why do we need Echo?" Crade inquired.

"He… ah," Picard stopped to consider his answer for a moment. "Well, he's speaking a dead language for one. You'll need Echo to translate."

__

Yeah…. Right, of course he is. "And what's the two?" Jen asked to Picard's back as the guy opened the door.

He didn't turn around. "He… You wouldn't believe me if I told you." And with that, the group, minus Andrew who went off…somewhere, went in.

Matthew was sitting in a chair with a black book in his hand, leafing through various pages, obviously trying to find something or other. One of the creatures that had terrified him before, a red one, was sitting on his head, shedding a pulsing light over the entire room.

__

That's not too_ weird._ Her idea of strange was significantly changed from what it had been less than a day before.

Then he looked up. His gaze swept over the four of them, recognition appearing only for Picard. There was something else missing from his hazel eyes. It was the look that made him look like he was constantly daydreaming or always up for a bit of fun. In its place was a haunted look of one who had seen too much, too soon, too early in life. A look that said he was plagued by memories of events that shouldn't have happened, that nothing could make him forget.

He gently closed the book and set it down lightly, as if he expected the bound papers would unleash some fury it they were handled roughly. He then stood up, a little unsteady like they were back on the boat. He stood strangely, too; he didn't slouch or shift from side to side, his normal behavior when he was uneasy, as he was then. He favored his left leg and kept his right a little bit behind it.

Everyone eyed him and he eyed them right back. Finally, Crade broke the silence: "Matthew?"

The other gave a bitter laugh and studied his hand. "Yi'ta, Kraden," he replied. "Yi'ta." Echo happily zoomed around his head before swelling to cat size and landing in his arms.

Jen was as taken aback by how the syllables were spoken as much as she was by the strange words. His voice hadn't really changed, but a strange accent, similar to that of Picard, had altered it slightly. A touch of confidence had taken root where there had been little and entered into his tone.

That confidence shone through as he held the Djinni without complaint or fear. In fact, he seemed to be taking comfort in the beast! He tapped the brown creature lightly on its head, reminding it of its duty.

"'Partly, Kraden. Partly,'" the Djinni said in a thousand voices. Jen would never get used to hearing that.

__

Kraden? The word sounded familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had heard it.

Crade considered this reply for a moment before taking a guess that made absolutely no sense to Jen. "Felix?" The man was eerily calm.

The other grinned slightly and muttered softly to his Djinni who said: "'Yep. I just have no idea how and why I'm here. Mariner over here does though.'" He immediately sat down and went back to looking through the black book again.

__

Mariner? Apparently that meant Picard, on account that he started explaining.

"I think that this has something to do with Matthew's contact with the Sol Blade yesterday. It's possible that the sword had been effected by the Tomegathericon in a way that…transferred the memories of its pervious owner into Matthew. The memories might've over-whelmed his mind."

"'It's a theory I disagree with'," Echo repeated. "I feel like me.'"

__

Finally someone_'s making sence._ Jen didn't believe a thing about the memories, but there might've been a…a chemical change in his brain that stopped him from speaking English. Or some other unlikely yet possible scenario.

"'Fine, not physically and I'm a little disoriented, but I feel like how I always do when I'm disoriented. Only I'm not bleeding all over the place.'"

"Physically?" Satornil asked.

"Bleeding?" Makrina said at the same moment.

"These are just Felix's memories speaking. The shear amount of information Matthew received has left him in a confused state," Picard explained. More likely he was _really_ chemically unbalanced. "He's just confused," he stressed.

Jen seriously hoped that that was the case(the confused stuff, not the memory stuff; she didn't believe in that). Matthew seemed to have a different idea and before long he and Picard were arguing back and forth, each trying to explain what exactly the situation was to the other. Expressions and guestures changed as the pair spoke what seemed to be random syllables. It made Jen feel like she was watching a bad Japanese monster movie before it was dubbed in English.

She, Crade, Satornil and Makrina stood by the doorway, each feeling rather forgotten until a familiar Lemurian popped up behind them. Andrew told Picard something in what Jen thought to be yet another language, interrupting the bizarre argument.

After Matthew had said something else to him, Picard quickly excused himself and left.

__

What in the world was that_ about? _Jen thought, confused to say the least.

………

The rising sun glittered off the fountain in New Lemuria as it peeked through the clouds. The water shone in the early morn Once called Old Lemuria, the area had been drained of water in the last hundred thousand years.

New because it had happened in the last hundred thousand years. It just showed how little changed in Lemuria. The most original thing that ever happened was the game the children played by the fountain. New things, _strange_ things seemed to occur there nearly regularly. Years and years ago, when Oliver had been a boy of eighty he had met a man he had never seen before there. Tossing coins into the fountain and failing to hit the center, he had been more than surprised when the stranger completed the feat with his back turned.

And he hadn't found out that he was the king or even what his name was until two years later. Two years that were spent fishing and exploring underwater caves and anything else that was any fun. King Piers had thought the knowledge would change Oliver's view of him from big brother into mighty ruler, his friendly attitude into respect, jokes into seriousness, openness into uneasiness.

It had.

Still, a smile threatened to creep across Lord Oliver Crest's face as he looked out his second-story window to see one child add a particularly difficult movement to the growing list of actions that her friends would repeat. The girl had already gotten four of them out.

__

Only two to go, he thought proudly.

Only two! Maybe something _had_ changed. As a child, there had been no one even remotely close to his age. And the one closest in appearance had been farthest away in years.

Even though he was Lemurian, the Lemurian aging process was a strange thing to him at times. That a father could out-live a son, that grandmother out-live granddaughter. That life should correspond with the strength of Psynergy, Psynergy that was tied so closely with life force.

He held back a sigh. There was no point in thinking of such things. He should be going instead; he had told Picard's boy that he would be there immediately. After quick climb down the stairs and an internal debate about the need to take a jacket, he was out the door and on his way.

"Daddy! Where're you going?"

The girl he had been watching perviously ran up to him and practically flung herself into his arms. "I won! I won this time, Daddy!"

Laughing, he lifted her up and spung her around once. "I'm proud of you, Melana," he told her and her smile practically split her face in two.

Back on the ground, she dizzily looked up at him, hold his hand tightly. "Where are we going?"

Oliver wasn't sure if he should laugh or sigh at the transition from "you" to "we" although taking her along might actually be a good idea. He hated involving her in politics, but the more complete the façade was the better. "We're going to go visit Mommy."

"Really?" his daughter asked, fiddling with the red ribbon tied about her wrist. "Can I bring some flowers?"

"Of course."

Soon enough, they arrived at their destination. Oliver looked around, seeing only stone, grass and a few growing flowers. Picard hadn't arrived yet, making them the only two people there.

After all, few Lemurians habitually visited graveyards.

"Mommy!" Melana cried out, dashing back to where the members of the Crest House were buried. "Look, I brought flowers! And I brought Daddy, too!"

Oliver found that a sad smile had somehow gotten itself onto his face. Absentmindedly stroking the red cord that wrapped around his wrist twice, he joined his daughter and bowed his head. Until his cord and Melana's ribbon fell off of their respective wrists, his wife's spirit would remain. Afterwards, she would be free to have a new life.

He planned on keeping his cord as long as he could.

"Hello, Oliver. I din't expect to see you here this early in the morning."

The lord was startled but refused to let it affect his voice. "Greetings, milord. I didn't hear your approch," he said with a bow.

Their manner of greeting was completely planned. All of Lemuria knew Oliver had lost his wife a short while(in Lemurian terms) back; Oliver visited regularly. All of Lemuria also knew that its ruler's friends and immediately family were deceased; King Piers visiting the graveyard was not at all uncommon. It may have been a slightly morbid meeting place, but it was a _very good_ slightly morbid meeting place.

Melana stood and curtsied as best she knew how. "Good day, magesty." Oliver beamed inwardly.

"Good day, Lady Crest," Picard replied, receiving a smile that only a very proud child could produce. "And what brings you here this fine morning?" This too was customary; it was well-known that Picard had developed somewhat of a soft spot in regards to children.

"Me and Daddy are visiting Mommy," she replied, only remembering to add "milord" several moments too late.

"Is that so? I'm going to visit my mother as well."

"Really? Milord." Oliver surpressed a wince; she _was_ getting better at it… just not as quickly as he might have hoped.

"Indeed I am and…" He cocked his head to the side, as if listening to something. This too was planned. "I believe Shade and Spring would like to engage in a game of hide-and-find with you."

The child grinned broadly. "And I would like to play with them too, milord." Yes! She remembered!

Once the pair was certain that even Melana was out of ear shot, the real conversation began:

"What do the senators think of the situation, Oliver?" Picard asked. He lowered himself to the ground and sat cross legged. He motioned for the other to join him.

Oliver sat down, trying to keep his clean robes from touching the dirt. He could always Restore them if they became dirty, but that wasn't the point. He considered the question for a moment before replying, "Many think you brought them here on purpose, despite what you say. Most think it would be best for them to remain here; it would cause too much of a commotion to do otherwise."

"It has already caused one. Five people are missing and, unlike the people of Lemuria, their families will notice quickly."

Oliver had to agree with him on that. Lady Hydros had gone off again, possibly weeks ago; they had just noticed and only because she hadn't been at the Senate House to greet the return of the king. "Of course, it would all die down in less than a hundred years," he pointed out.

Picard came very close to glaring at him, something he had never done before. "So you too suggest they stay here for the remainder of their lives? I make one mistake and five people receive a life-sentence for it?"

"I don't know, Picard! I really don't. There are reprecussions I can't even being to speculate about."

"You and I both." The four words seemed to hold a meaning Oliver had yet to grasp. Was something _else_ going wrong?

"But, Picard, answer me this: why did you bring them?"

"I _told_ you, Oliver. I didn't do it on purpose."

"You can't expect anyone to believe that," Oliver declared, standing up. "You sailed all the way back here before noticing they were aboard? And when you did, you didn't just take them back to the mainland? Had they seen your Psynergy or the Djinn? There's something you're keeping from us."

"Oliver." Picard stood and looked at him paciently.

Looking into that calm gaze, he felt like a child. A very _small_ child trying to act like an adult. And like how Oliver himself had not told Melana all of what was going on, Picard was not telling him. There was a reason for this, one that only the with-holder of the information knew, but a good reason none the less. He found he couldn't hold that gaze, but neither could he look away. While he was stuck at this impasse, King Piers began to speak:

"Trust me, Oliver. And I'll trust you. The over-all situation is this: Lemuria remains primitive in ways of technology and has barely the population of a small town while the rest of the world continues to advance in varying degrees. Lemuria is fairly peaceful despite all the politics; the outside world bickers and wars. Lemuria retains Psynergy, little though it is; the rest of the world has forgotten it for the most part, regarding it as fantasy. When no more Psynergy remains, the world will die.

"Momentarily, we have the means, if not very good ones, to establish a connection to two countries. This will only happen, however, if the foreigners are returned and not kept hostage. We would have to rejoin soon anyway; sooner or later Lemuria _will_ be found and when that happens we may be so technologically behind that our situation is nearly hopeless. _At the moment_, we have much to offer in ways of healing; we will not as their science continues to advance and our Psynergy wanes.

"My conclusion: something needs to be done and soon. Lemuria cannot continue to look down at the rest of the world; instead she must join it. Do you understand, Oliver?"

"Yes, milord," he whispered.

"None of that, Oliver," King Piers said jokingly, the spell his gaze had cast immediately broken. "I need _someone_ who doesn't 'milord' my ear off."

He nodded numbly.

"I need to be getting back to our 'guests' now; can you plan something out?"

"Certainly."

It was King Piers' turn to nod and he did so before he walked away as if nothing had happened.

………

"So what do you actually look like?" Crade asked Matthew.

Jen could've screamed in annoyance; it was bad enough that Math was convinced he was someone else, but to have the old man encouraging it!

The small group, a crowd in the tiny room, was spread out over the three chairs and little table. Matthew was still fingering the black book, even if he wasn't looking though it.

"'I'm a Valeman by birth, Proxan by adoption, Laliveran by marriage, and an old guy who has had a limp since he was eighteen. An age I see this body hasn't reached yet.'" After a moment, he added, inspecting a scrawny arm, "'Plus, I'm not this wimpy.'"

"You're thin 'cause you don't like competitive sports and practically live on the computer," Jen reminded.

Even after Echo translated, Matthew stared at her blankly. "Com-pewter?"

Matthew had officially gone insane. Not that he hadn't been before.

"Did you say…Prox?" Satornil inquired hesitantly.

Even before Echo told him anything, Matthew's attention was sharply focused on his Russian friend. Math sprang up and in two fast steps closed in on Satornil enough to grab him by the shoulder.

"Saturos."


	9. to the present Friday morning, still

Alexditto: Yay! I'm not as confusing anymore! The ice sword was inspired by Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. (Except in those books, it was a sword of fire.)

Vyctori: Have no fear, the Proxshipping is here and staying (see second flashback). I don't really consider Satty and Menny to be Felix's foster parents, but like Saturos is kind of a big brother to Felix. In my little world of interpretation, Satty was 23 when he died and Menardi was a year younger. Talk about an early death.

Kadevi: Memories, say you. Read on and find out, say I.

GoldenDaydreamer: Thanks.

BTFreek: He changes languages because he thinks that he is and/or really is Felix. As Felix, he wouldn't speak English.

Vilya: There's a lot of no one knowing things, but that's just part of the suspence, right?

****

End of Response Section

Out of curiousity, I've been doing what you might call research on Lemuria a.k.a. Mu a.k.a. the Motherland. Lemuria is apparently a "hypothetical continent thought by some to have existed long ago, now supposedly covered by the Indian Ocean." Too bad I'm placing it in the Altantic for this story.

This info and more was found at and its links. Do not own.

A couple chapters ago, Picard mentioned that "…instead of ending, the world grew and changed." I've been thinking of Weyard as the world somewhere between Pangaea and the present day world. Isn't continental drift fun?

Just in case you wanted to know.

Also, this chapter I'm starting "Create a Senator." That's right, you get to make up a Lemurian (or Muian, Muan, Muese. Take your pick) and have him or her be in the fic! Try to come up with a water relating last name. Picard _Piers_, King _Hydros_, Oliver _Crest_, you get the idea. They may not have a really important part in the fic, but they're needed.

**Disclaimer:** Rallalon does not own Golden Sun, any of its charaters or items, Proxan curses, the Atlantic Ocean, cut momentum, rural Canada or vacations(although she needs one).

………

__

It roared, delighting in its winged might. Rage set alight its blood as it spilled that of others. Instincts pushed out emotion and logic. An insane fiery rush over-whelmed thought.

And in that rush, only one thing was clear: it was under attack. It roared louder and fought back, burning its opponents. Charring them. And soon, killing them They had no chance against it; it was unstoppable.

One of its heads reached down, hungry for a kill, for more than just the smell of blood.

That was where it changed, where thought resurfaced past exhilaration. Thought came with an array of emotion. Emotion came with a feeling that made it want to vomit.

It was controlled by instinct, proving it– them to be the monsters their adversaries thought of them as. They were hit with a new resolve: the battle would be won with them as humans or not at all.

They fought to separate their minds even as they fought the four Adepts. Never before had they become a dragon together; they hadn't had enough Psynergy to transform on their own this time. They were confused; whose thoughts were whose?

They were hit by a familiar sharp searing pain, the pain of transformation. The Fusion Dragon imploded on itself with a roar, folding inward and showering scales over its surroundings until it split into two halves.

Completely naked, Saturos stumbled forward with his arm still attached to Menardi's. His foot landed on a sharp shredded piece of his armor, causing his feet slid out from under him, throwing him backwards. And dragging Menardi back with him.

"Saturos!"

Felix!_ The boy hadn't left! What had the idiot been thinking?!_

The pair tumbled down the shaft of the Lighthouse, arms now separate but fingers still intertwined. Menardi gave his hand a slight squeeze. He squeezed back.

"Menardi!" the boy cried from above before calling out for his 'big brother' again.

"Saturos."

__

What? One moment he had been free falling towards his death and now he was standing on solid ground in a small dim room with some kid resting his hand on his shoulder. Normally, he would've been slightly touched by the display of trust (after all, if he just tensed like so, his scales would change to spikes and fuzz-head would have a great need for a bandage), but this wasn't a normal time.

He batted the boy's hand off and stopped in mid-motion. _Burning Mars… I'm a flaming sandskin…_

"What?" another asked, a young woman this time and vaguely familiar. The boy was to busy gaping to say anything. The kid looked like he had seen a ghost.

Did I say that aloud? he thought but was rudely interrupted halfway though by…something.

__

What the hell did I just say?

What? What was going on? Those weren't his thoughts. It felt sort of like he was still fused.

"What's a…sandskin?" his mouth said without permission. _Very _much like he was still fused: only bits of control here and there. But then, who was he fused with? And why had only the last word sounded right? He had understood the other words, but barely and his understanding felt sluggish and slow.

"A 'sandskin' is a Proxan slang term," the boy instructed him. "It's their word for outsiders and not exactly polite."

__

I know what a sandskin is!

"Well, then why did you ask?" inquired someone who _really_ sounded strange, like a lot of people saying the same words with different accents at slightly different times. The speaker flew up and zoomed around the boy's head. It was one of the elemental creatures!

Remembering his last encounter with one (and twenty-seven others) only too well, he lashed out without stopping to think. The Mars Psynergy struck out and hit –

"Shade!"

– a blue and watery wall before disappearing in a cloud of steam.

__

What did I do? the other inside him thought as the body turned to see a man standing with his arm outstretched to welcome back a Mercury based beast.

………

The Atlantic Ocean gleamed, its waves decked with sparkling diamonds in the morning light. It was a beautiful and breathtaking sight to see, the ocean at daybreak.

Zephyr blasted across the ocean at top speed, loving every second of the salty experience. He dove though the crest of a wave before blasting back up to the clouds. He spiraled ever higher into the wet mist, and upon breaking up past the tops of the Mercury formations, plunged back down.

Slow down! You don't even know where you're going!

Realizing Gust's point, Zephyr slowed to a normal Djinni speed. It wasn't always fun being the fastest; it meant he had to wait for everyone else.

The good part about being fast was that he was sent on these kinds of things. Namely, speedy retrieval. Gust would show him a rough estimate of where the Teleport Lapis was, then Zephyr would be on his own to get the item, with only his Psynergic senses to help him.

After years of being cooped up in Lemuria, this was going to be fun.

………

"This is just…weird," Jen stated.

Makrina murmured an agreement in Russian.

"The fact that there's a _dead guy_ in my _head?_ Yeah, I'd say so," Satornil remarked.

To Jen, there were three things that could be going on. It was either (a) Satornil was catching the crazy, which made sense, (b) Satornil had a split personality, which made nearly as much sense, or (c) there really was a dead guy inside his head.

Satornil yelled out in another language angrily. It sounded like it was similar to or the same one Matthew was using. He then calmed down and muttered something in Russian.

__

Either _(a) or (b)._ "What'd he say?" she asked no one in peculiar.

"The shouting I won't translate on account of how over half of it are curses," Picard replied, "But the Russian was something like 'I don't know why you're in there, but I want you out.'."

"So you _really_ think there's a dead guy in Dolgorukii?" Makrina asked skeptically.

"'More like know,'" Echo said from his perch on Matthew's shoulder where he had been whispering in his ear. "'I don't know who the body belongs to, but there is definitely someone else in there. Saturos of Prox.'"

Satornil gave a slight jerk and focused his reddening eyes on Math. "Felix?"

Matthew nodded.

"I think they might have the same thing happening to them," Crade announced. "The…in lack of a better word, intruders are in fact the people you told me of, aren't they, Picard?"

Picard nodded. "Their memories at least. I'm not sure how they acquired them, but they're probably the reason for Satornil's new split personality."

"Not just memories," Echo interrupted. The Djinni flew over to Picard. "Set me."

"Set," Picard said and his eyes widened as the Djinni disappeared into him. "That's not possible," he remarked before going off in some other language.

__

That the little beast in inside you? Yeah, I'd say so.

"Tomegathericon ei," Matthew responded simply, gesturing with the book.

"What does he mean?" Crade asked Picard, as Echo had temporarily disappeared.

"The Tomegathericon specializes in awakening sprits," Picard explained. "We usually used it to revived each other if we got knocked out." Jen was tempted to ask who "we" was. "It might've revived the pair somehow."

"But, even if what you're saying is true, wouldn't they be revived in their _own_ bodies?" Jen inquired.

That cut Picard's momentum.

"Well…Matthew and Satornil are…kind of…in a way…Felix and Saturos," Crade supplied.

"And how does _that _work?" Makrina demanded.

Picard and Crade exchanged glances before once again saying in unison, "It's complicated."

_Stop trying to stall, would you?_ "Try us."

Picard had to stop and think for a moment. "You could call it…reincarnation."

__

You expect me to buy that? she thought and said aloud. She reached over to Matthew and grabbed to book out of his hands on an impulse. "That this book can bring people back from the dead?!"

Upon contact with the book, Jen became aware of whispering voices, muttering half-forgotten words loud enough to hear, but soft enough to be unclear. Math's eyes widened. "Jen-

__

–na, you shouldn't mess round with that thing!" her brother scolded. "You don't know what that thing can do!"

"Oh, come on, Felix. What harm could it do?" she asked, flipping through the ancient pages as her brother prepared dinner. Picard had needed to use a Restore just to get it into at workable condition. Now all she needed to do was figure out how to read it. "Picard agrees with me, don't you, Picard?"

"I'm with your brother on this." So her trump card trumped her. Usually, he could be thrown off guard enough to agree quickly. After all, the Lemurian didn't do well with stress. "It was supposed to go to Akafubu, and I don't trust anything_ that has to do with him. It's amazing how many Babi's there are in the world."_

While he didn't do well with stress, it was clear he was good at grudges. Even though he hadn't told what exactly he had against the man, it was clear Babi had done him, or someone close to him, a great wrong. As for Akafubu, the reason of the grudge was obvious.

"If you don't trust anything that has to do with the witch doctor, why'd you personally make sure we took the book?" Sheba asked, returning from a firewood run.

"Because," was Picard's one-word reply.

"I would think someone your age would be above revenge," the Child of the Gods teased.

"I wouldn't think a toddler such as yourself would even understand such concepts," the banished heir to the Lemurian Throne teased back.

"Aren't we getting a bit off topic?" Felix asked, grabbing the Tomegathericon right out of her hands.

"Are you all right?" Matthew asked her, holding the black script. Hey, she could understand him now!

__

What's going on? The thought popped into her head without permission along with a wave of confusion. Confusion that wasn't Jen's.

But Jenna's.

………

No normal guy Gary's age would get up with the sun. Most normal guys didn't have Officer Jerra for a father. _Note to self: never ask if I can help dad with something. _Unfortunately, he already had. The result: going through pictures of how his girlfriend disappeared.

"Okay, son. Here they are," his father said, handing him the photos.

__

Jen, Matthew, blurry thing… What the hell? Gary did a double take at the fourth picture. "It's Captain Picard."

Apparently that wasn't the response his father was expecting. _"What?"_

"He's got a ship. I've only met the guy once," Gary explained, "and that was because Ian rammed a soccer ball into his head."

"Does…Picard have a last name?" his father asked.

"Dunno," was the reply.

His father gave an exasperated sigh. "Don't know," he corrected, obviously annoyed at more than Gary's bad grammar.

__

Maybe I should start using "ain't". I ain't doing nothing, he thought with a grin threatening to form on his face. _I ain't got a lead for you, so you can cut it with the "nice daddy brings his kid to work" act. _The thought wiped any traces of a smile from his face.

His father sat down on the bench beside him. "Speaking of Ian…"

__

Is this going to be another "play nice with the wuss" talk?

"…I'm glad to see you two have been getting along so well. He's had a hard time with his parent's divorce and all but it's good to know that someone's there for the kid." Did his father even pay attention to anything else besides work?

"So," Officer Jerra continued, "I know that we've been planing that vacation for a long time, but…"

__

But you can't leave your work and are hoping that Mom, Kayla, Eric and I can have a nice time without you. Where does Ian fit in?

"…maybe we could bring Ian and his mother along, get them away from the city and everything. How about it? That fine with you?"

Did Gary _want_ to spend a week in rural Canada with the dork? Did Gary _want_ to spend a week away from home in rural Canada with his girlfriend missing? Did Gary _want_ to spend a week in rural Canada, period?

No.

But did Gary want to spend time with his dad as far as possible from anything and everything that had any connection at all to the police department?

"Yeah."

………

"So now everyone but Dr. Crade and I has some sort of spirit in their head?" Makrina asked, staring at the group of _three_ possessed people talking in the corner. Every once in a while Jen or Satornil would come over and say what the ghosts thought was going on.

"I don't either if that counts for anything," Picard stated. "Apparently not," he added at her look.

"Why don't we, though?" Dr. Crade asked. "It can't just be because of the book. Only Jen touched the…Tomegathericon? Only Jen touched the Tomegathericon directly before the…reawaking of her previous self. Math the sword when he spaced out. Satornil had…well, he had Math's hand on his shoulder."

"It might have something to do with that. The Sol Blade was a familiar object to Felix, and Felix was familiar to Saturos, as were both Felix and the Tomegathericon to Jenna," Picard listed.

"Excuse me, but I, uh, we would like to speak to you." Yep, Satornil just kept on getting weirder and weirder. "In private."

A quick walk to the hall and instead of talking, the pair (or group of three, depending on your opinion) was sharing a rather uneasy silence. After what felt like hours of fidgeting, Satornil spoke in Russian, as not to let any eavesdroppers understand: "Do you have anyone…you know."

"No."

"Earlier, did you…kind of…remember something?"

She hesitated before answering. "Not completely. I mean, Echo came in and…interrupted."

"What…what do you think would've happened had he not?" Satornil asked tentatively.

"This," she replied, reclaiming her grasp on his ears that now feeling a little…pointy. Not letting that stop her, she pulled down slightly.Slowly, ever so slowly, he put his arms around her. And then–

__

–his lips came down on hers. Her head spun, lost in a flood of emotion. Was it her heart she felt pounding or Saturos's? Maybe their hearts were bouncing off each other; they were so close together she couldn't tell.

What felt like a second later although it could've been hours for all she knew, Menardi found herself leaning against Saturos's chest and that her arms had moved to around his neck.

"I love you," he whispered into her ear.

"I love you, too," she whispered back.

………

Officer Jake Jerra was having his last day at work before he went off on vacation. He, the world's biggest workaholic, was going on vacation.

And it couldn't have been at a worse time: "Any new information on the disappearances?"

After pulling so many strings to get off for the next week and a half, he had one of the biggest cases he had ever had on his hands. Six people were missing, two of them from Russia, making the case an international issue.

"Only a little, Mark," he told his partner, seated at his desk in their small corner in the police department. "Gary thinks the unidentified man's name is Picard, a little over twenty, and might own a boat."

"A little?" Mark Deyward scoffed. "It's our best lead on him so far. There's still nothing on where they went off to, how they did, or why. None of this makes sense."

Jake knew his partner continued speaking but his attention was fixed on something else. _What was that? _He could've _sworn_ he'd seen something purple hovering over by the closed door to the Evidence Room. It was more like a closet, but a name was a name and no one saw any reason to change it.

"It anyone figure out what the Rock is?" he interrupted, realizing something else that had been puzzling him.

Mark gave him an annoyed look. "I was just telling you. It's not made of any known element. Freaky, but true. And remember the rings you saw on the tape? Apparently, one of the researchers was holding it, he saw rings pop out, and he was at his house in three seconds flat. Straight out of a sci-fi movie."

Jake was torn between believing him and laughing in his face. He arched an eyebrow. "Really."

Mark nodded. "I couldn't believe it either. And I was in the room when it happened; I didn't even see the rings, but I saw him disappear. Speaking of the room, I looks like someone forgot to close the door again."

Mark strode over, and just as he was about to push the closed, Jake saw the purple thing zoom out. Jake rubbed his eyes. Maybe he really did need the vacation.

………

Gust hovered impatiently in a cloud. Zephyr would be able to sense and find him there. That was if he ever got back. That Djinni enjoyed going off on his own too much for Gust's liking.

__

It's not fair. Zephyr got to go flying around town because he was fast enough not to be seen but he had to stay in a boring, wet cloud.

Gust! Gust!Zephyr had returned. In fact, he had returned so fast that he didn't have enough time to stop and rammed into Gust. That small fiasco nearly made the speedier Djinni drop the very important item he was carrying between his legs.

You got it?Gust asked irritably.

Got it! Let's get this thing back to Lemuria!Zephyr shouted as he raced off.

Why can't we just use it and Teleport there?Gust muttered to the speeding Djinni, nearly out off speaking range.

This is more fun!

Gust had to admit flying at top speed was fun. And he better have all the fun he could while he could. After all, saving the world again might not be all that enjoyable.


	10. to the present Friday morning at 7:29 AM

BTFreek: Don't worry, Adrian's in the fic. He even has a friend-mentor-guy-person who has a rather large library. Let's see if we can get some _Daes Dae'mar_ going.

Kyarorain: Thanks. You won't have to wait for everyone to come back before the plot really gets moving. The main group has already spent more chapters in Lemuria than I thought they would.

Alexditto: I'm rather fond of flashbacks. Dunno why. Thanks for the heads-up on the error but the first part was meant to be confusing. If you had suddenly landed in someone else's body just as you died, you'd be a little confused, too.

Vyctori: I _finally_ updated? Most authors take weeks, even _months_ to update, but if I take a week and a half you get worried? I'm seeing this fic through to the end, for personal reasons and because I'm just plain stubborn. Wait at least a month before you start worrying about me.

Pika girl15: Thanks.

Yoshimi Takahashi: Oh. My. God. That's a _lot_ of Senators. As for the pace of the story, I've been trying to speed things up a bit so I'll be finished before 2005, but thank you for commenting on that. I'll try to slow down.

**End of Response Section**

As a warning, not all the Senators will agree with Picard's future decisions so please don't get offended if your Senator gets ticked off at Picard or something. I repeat, _if_. (S)He may or may not do so. To tell you now would spoil it.

**Disclaimer:** Rallalon does not own Golden Sun, any of its characters or items, ripples, watches, clicky pens, Lords Globule Aquae, Dewst Rainmeadow, Frostshorn Conservato, Frozenshield Seaborn, Icile Glacial, or Depths Waverunner because Yoshimi Takahashi made them up, nor does she own Lord Adrian Murray because BTFreek made him up.

………

Letting the dog run into the house with his leash still on, Evan Hame closed the front door, slightly out of breath. Exercise was nice, but this was getting ridiculous. Who walked a dog at 7:29? _Walk the dog. More like having the dog walk me. Better get that leash._ "Joey! Come 'ere, Joe!"

"I've got him!" his father called from the living room. "Evan, I need to talk to you about something."

__

Please don't say we're moving again "What?" he asked, upon finding his adoptive father seated on the couch scratching the German Shepherd/Black Lab behind its floppy ears. That Evan was adopted was obvious. His dad had brown hair, eyes and mustache. By the pictures of his mom, Evan knew she had been blond and tall, at least compared to her husband. Evan, on the other hand, was clearly of Asian descent. The only trait Evan shared with his father was his height. More like his lack of height.

"I've got something to tell you," his father said unsteadily. "About the phone call earlier." Mr. Hame had been on the phone when Evan had left, and sure of another relocation, Evan had left before his dad could tell him the news. "It was… We've found your sister."

………

Zheng Hua stared at the phone. Had they done the right thing by calling? Of course it was a good decision where her little brother was involved, but they had started a ripple and would have no control over it.

What happens now, Hama? she asked, already knowing the answer. After all, she had asked about ten times in the last hour.

Ivan, or Evan as he is now, is being told about you by his adoptive father as we speak. Next they will come here. After that, Picard will follow with the rest of them after lighting Mercury and Venus. Then the Lighthouse will be lit and they'll move onto the next. Once the next is lit… 

You can't see? 

No, I can. It's just that… 

Hua could feel Hama's dread. It was a strange thing for Hama to openly worry. Even stranger than how Hua no longer thought of sharing her body with a dead person as something out of the ordinary. She had grown used to it so much that she would be sad to see Hama go when all Lighthouses were lit.

I'll miss you too, Hama assured her, but save that for later; we have planning to do. I won't let Picard die. 

………

"So what'd you find?" Picard asked the Mars Djinni that had previously been Set by Jen and Jenna. If Jenna was just a bunch of memories, then Cannon would be Set to Jen's mind both times. If she was actually inside Jen, there would be two minds for Cannon to be Set to. _Djinn come in handy._

After a brief chat with Echo, (Cannon didn't speak any human languages, so the translator was once again needed) Echo repeated the info. "We've got two."

"What?!" practically the entire room gasped.

"You mean I really have a dead person inside me?!" Makrina shouted with a horrified look etched on her face. Her facial expression changed abruptly. "Oh, come on, you've been going Proxan for two years now," she said, patting her shoulder slightly. "Wait, how do I know that?"

"That's freaky," commented Jen. Or Jenna. Moldy fish bait, this was getting confusing!

"Your memories and stuff are flowing from person to person. I think it's like how the thoughts, feelings, and memories of a person can flow into a Set Djinni," Echo guessed.

"They do?" Picard asked curiously.

"Yeah, how else would we all know that you're planning to use the act of returning them to their homes as a reason for Lemuria to rejoin the outside world, as well as an opportunity to light the Lighthouses again."

"They're not lit?!" Felix/Matthew and Jen/Jenna asked in unison before Jen/Jenna went onto a question of her/their own.

"They _need_ to be lit? How do you know?"

"Again? They were _all_ lit?" demanded Satornil/Saturos.

Before Makrina/Menardi could get a comment in, Picard blurted out, "Shut up!" The two simple words caused many a look of confusion. Especially with Felix because without Matthew's memories and therefore understanding of English, Felix had no idea what Picard had just said.

Wait… Where was Matthew? If Felix had been in control of the body the entire time, without the struggle for control that everyone else was having, then… Picard really had no idea, but it probably wasn't a good thing.

"Yes, they're not. Yes, otherwise the core of Weyard will stop spinning and/or Weyard will blow up in a thousand years. Yes, they were," he stated flatly, rushing to get to his own question. "But, Felix, do you…sense Matthew?" he tentatively asked.

"The kid whose body I'm in?" He frowned slightly in concentration. "I think…maybe…he could be…asleep."

"He's never been a morning person," Jen admitted, "But I didn't think he could sleep through being possessed."

"But back to the topic of the Lighthouses," Satornil/Saturos prodded. "You're not going to make us light them, are you? Neither of us really wants to go to Venus Lighthouse. Or have a reassurance of what happened there."

Before Picard could even say anything, he was interrupted by a familiar call: "Milord! Milord!"

Picard could've groaned. _Not now, Andrew Stormwind. I've got enough on my plate. _It was nothing personal; it was simply that Andrew was the bringer of bad news."What is it?" he asked in Lemurian.

"It's the Senate, milord. There's a meeting."

"Then tell them I'm busy," he replied, gesturing to the group behind him.

"But, sire, you yourself called it," Andrew protested.

__

Keep calm, keep calm, keep calm… "What?" He managed to keep his tone of voice indifferent.

"I-I was in Lord Aquae's library with Lord Murray, and Lord Crest's gofer came in and said you had called a meeting," Andrew explained nervously.

"Ah, yes, I believe I remember now," Picard lied. _What's Oliver up to?_ "Andrew, I need you to stay here." At the boy's questioning expression, he added, "Can't let them wander around unsupervised, can we?"

"No, milord."

"I'll be right…Well, I'll be back," he assured the rest of the group. Halfway out the door, he had an idea. "Could I borrow someone's watch? And a clicky pen?"

Picard received the items and more, along with a few questioning glances, before practically running off. A pang of guilt had struck at leaving Andrew like that, but if his most important ally was turning on him, Picard could allow no slip-ups, and therefore he couldn't bring Andrew along, no matter how well the boy meant. Andrew just wasn't prepared; Picard wasn't sure that he could say differently for himself.

Upon arrival at the Senate House, he found Oliver waiting for him just inside. "If you would follow me, sire?" the young, well, young_er_ lord pointedly asked and walked off into an unused room. Picard followed. Oliver never gave him any sort of title unless there was a good reason.

"What are you up to?" Picard demanded bluntly while softly closing the door.

"What you're doing qualifies as treason," Oliver replied just as bluntly. He was right; bringing the foreigners into Lemuria _was_ treasonous. "Without the Senate's permission, that is. And then when they are returned as the must be…"

"It will be the first step to rejoin Lemuria with the outside world," Picard finished. "Didn't _I_ tell_ you _that?"

"Yes. And I think you should tell it to Senate."

"Do you have any more of a plan?"

"When don't I? Don't follow me." With that, Oliver exited out the door on the other side of the room.

__

That's it?! He'd just have to trust Oliver. Everything was sound so far. Only Picard knew that he hadn't called a meeting, and no one had yet seen Oliver or him together. To show even a hint of an alliance could be disastrous.

Disastrous to Oliver's plan. A plan that could very well be disastrous to Picard. As much as he wanted to trust the boy, maybe it wasn't the right thing that he do so. If Oliver, no, Lord Crest could plot with him, he could plot with anyone else.

__

Stop that! he told himself firmly. _This is Oliver, not Icile Glacial. He wouldn't… He wouldn't and he won't._

Picard wished he could be sure.

………

"In an hour, we get to the airport. From there we go to the Attawapiskat Airport in Canada and that'll take a couple hours. Then we get picked up by my cousin May and drive for two _more_ hours before we get there," Gary told Ian while loading up the car.

Why had his dad sprung this on him last minute? No one could say that the Jerra family had planned the vacation well, but inviting Ian and his mother along? Insane. _Maybe Dad thought I'd have more fun with a _friend. 

He and Ian weren't friends, not by a long shot. It wasn't just that Gary used to bully Ian around; they had nothing in common. Ian was a brain that was afraid of sports; Gary was a jock that didn't see much point in exerting himself at any subject in school, except gym. In other words, they had nothing to talk about.

He slammed the trunk of the mini-van shut. The car could fit seven, but his dad was taking a later flight, making the car load a total of six people: His over-protective mom, a divorced woman, an annoying sister, a hyper little brother, a shy dork, and Gary.

An hour to the airport.

__

Fun. Riiiight.

………

As soon as Picard entered the Senate Meeting Room, he made an important discovery: He didn't know what to do.

When someone else called a meeting, he would skip it if it wasn't important and if it was, he would listen to the point being debated about and then decide on something. But this time _he_ had called the meeting. In a way.

He took his seat at the wooden, circular table while surveying the Senators already gathered there. _Eight out of nine present. Lady Hydros is still missing! Not good._ Curse her habit of disappearing on the fishing ships! He needed any support he could get. Luckily, the Hydros family had preserved their attitude towards outsiders.

Unfortunately, the Conservato family had done the same. "What is the purpose of this meeting, sire?" demanded Lord Frostshorn Conservato, making the word "sire" sound like something one calls an idiot. As a Conservato, his hate of outsiders and dislike of the king was a given. A man who grew up being taught the "virtues" of political power, he wasn't too fond of his fellow senators either and liked commoners only at a distance.

"I would like to know that as well, milord," agreed Lord Globule Aquae in a non-menacing and far more polite manner. The only threatening thing the Keeper of Records could do would be to say "This reminds me of…" as the phrase often led to a _long_ story, even by Lemurian standards.

"Is this about the arrival of the foreigners, _milord?_" Oliver prodded.

There was the "milord" again. Was that the signal of the plan? "Indeed it is," Picard confirmed. _As if it could be about anything else._

Lord Dewst Rainmeadow took this to be his cue to argue. A sharp-eyed dreamer, he had an odd tendency to quote poetry even as he argued in favor of things remaining the same. "Milord, they will destroy the delicate balance we have worked so hard to preserve! 'The beauty of nature is fragile as light caught on a butterfly's wing.' Would you let our fair land be over-run by the outer world?!"

"No, he will not!" proclaimed Lord Frozenshield Seaborn in his rough voice. The man was military-minded and had no sense of humor, but something of his aggressiveness reminded Picard of Garet. Just a small part of it though; Garet could and had make people laugh even as he spoke of battle while Seaborn… didn't. "It shall not be Lemuria that is defeated, but the outsiders if they dare attack! None can match our Psynergic might! If we gather an army, there are none who can oppose us!" It might have had something to do with the frequency difference that made Garet the far more likeable; more likely it was the fact that Garet had actually experianced many a fight for his life. Seaborn… hadn't. His talk of "Psynergic might" always made Picard wish he could introduce the man to Dullahan. Just for a few moments of course; the man wasn't _that_ bad.

"Senators, first off, there is no cause for such an army. Second, we have barely a population of three hundred. Many of the smallest towns out-number us, so our army would be insignificant even if we had one. Third…" What was third?! Picard's hand brushed by his pocket.

Oh.

"Third, if a system of trade is established, Lemuria could, and will, flourish."

"What could they possibly have to offer?" scoffed Lord Conservato. _This_ one, he wouldn't mind stretching out the visit to Dullahan for.

"It is good you ask," he replied, pulling out the first of the items: Crade's clicky pen. He held the writing tool up for all to see. "Does anyone have a piece of parchment? Ah, yes, thank you, Lord Waverunner. Now, watch." Lord Waverunner hadn't spoken two words so far; that was slightly worrying.

He pushed the button on the end of the pen. _Click._ The nib of the pen clicked out. _Click._ Back in. _Click._ Back out. He scribbled on the parchment for a moment before holding the page up. Upon it were written four words: _This is a pen_.

"So they have put ink in inside strange quills. What does it matter?"

"Conservato, think about it. If a simple writing tool has been changed to such an extent, how much have complex things changed?" Lord Aquae debated.

__

Exactly, Globule Aquae, exactly. "Complex things…like clocks?" Picard prodded. He had everyone's attention at once. The reason?

The Senate's clock.

The clock in Senate House was a great pride as well as a great beauty. If the outsiders had indeed surpassed Lemurians when it came to instruments of time measurement, maybe they did indeed deserve some consideration.

Once again, Picard reached into his pocket and once again he pulled out an item that far surpassed its Lemurian equivalent: Crade's watch.

Luckily for Picard's little presentation, Crade didn't have a dinky watch. Oh, no. This little guy looked impressive even if the leather band was fake and the face possibly under plastic instead of glass. Not only did it have Roman numerals the Senators would understand, it had this little thing that showed what phase Luna was in.

"This is a watch, a miniature clock. It's just as accurate as a full sized one if not more," he explained before passing it to Lord Rainmeadow who was sitting at this left. Picard waited the ten minutes it took for the watch to take a trip half way around the table. Then he pulled out Jen's watch. Jen's _digital_ watch.

"This is also a clock. One powered by the Jupiter-related force called electricity." Fine, Crade's watch ran on a battery, but he wasn't going to go into the nitty gritty. "The difference? See for yourselves." He passed it to his right this time, to Lord Aquae. "That number is a seven. It will change to eight at the same time the long hand of the other watch reaches twelve. Say 'now' when it does," he told the lords studying each watch.

This was something he had planned. Earlier, when he had asked for the watches, he had asked that Jen and Crade set the devises so they would show the exact same time. Where was the harm in impressing them a little bit extra?

"Now," chorused Lords Aquae and Glacial. Glacial was perhaps the only person Andrew had ever come close to hating. Possibly more than close.

"So what?" Conservato protested. "It's not in time with our clock…" As if on cue, the great clock began its sweet hourly chime from the hall, forcing Conservato to switch tactics before Picard could pull out his trump card, an electronic toy called a "Gameboy Pocket". "What does this have to do with your bringing the outsiders here?"

"It shows that by bringing them here, I have opened up many a possibility for Lemuria."

"Many of them not so good," young Lord Adrian Murray pointed out mildly. "Invasion, for one." Unlike many others, Murray aruging against him was no indication that he was against him.

"But trade. Interesting trade, as well, Adrian," added his older friend Lord Aquae. Murray had learned from Aquae to observe things from all angles, something the older lord did to the point where it was nearly compulsive. "Never count a good thing out just because a bad thing might happen. This reminds me of a little event that happened between the years 324 A.L. and 327 A.L. called the Kibombo Crossing. (**Author's Note: A.L. stands for After Lighting**) There had been attacks on the Madra of Indra, or Africa as it is now, by the Kibombo from Gondowan, or South America. The new witch doctor of the Kibombo was far more power-hungry than his predecessors and broke a peace that had lasted over three hundred years. After two years of conflict, the Madran mayor went out to the Kibombos and they were so impressed by his bravery that they were willing to negotiate. Unfortunately, the mayor was a bad negotiator and ended up giving the Kibombo complete access to all of Madra's territories. But they weren't allowed to harm anyone while they were there, making it not a complete loss. So even though the mayor could have died, he went out to show that they didn't have to fight." And just when the world thought he was about to shut up, Lord Aquae added, "This turned out rather strangely when the continents finally broke apart, taking a good portion the Kibombos with Indra."

Oliver cleared his throat loudly. "Aren't we a bit off topic? What is the plan for returning the…individuals to their homes, sire?"

"By the _Seamist_, of course. I sail to the eastern coast of the North American and drop them off, simple as that. With the speed of communication in the world these days, they will be able to contact their homes in a matter of minutes. And thanks to the eighteen Jupiter Djinn currently living in the palace, they won't remember a thing."

It wasn't exactly a lie. He would set off in the _Seamist_; he always did. Then he would use the Teleportation Lapis, if Gust and Zephyr got back before he left. Upon reaching the east coast, he would drop off the foreigners. Once several kinks were worked out of the system. Like his friends in the bodies of present day kids.

"Sire, if you would excuse us to consider your proposition in private?"

"Of course." He had no choice but to agree, as this was custom. Not law, exactly, but close.

This was where everything could fall apart. Unless Oliver's plan really worked. But, depending on what that plan was, Picard might not want it to work.

Oliver wiped his sweating palms on his trousers discreetly as he watched the King exit the room. How could the man look so calm? It was amazing how much the man trusted him; Oliver would be squirming in his seat had he been in the other man's shoes.

He was in his own shoes and _still_ resisting the urge to squirm. This was where everything could fall apart after all his careful manipulations. He had gotten the meeting off onto the right subject and prodded it back there whenever it seemed needed. If he were to prod too strongly now, his plan could fall apart, too weakly and it would be only half done. He needed to get Picard this chance, he had to.

He would have to trust Aquae's annoying habit of taking every side in an argument.

"If they will truly remember nothing, then there shouldn't be a problem. Unless this happens again," reasoned Lord Depths Waverunner, logical as ever, speaking for the first time. "Unless he could edit _our_ memories as well. As far as we know he could've done so countless times already."

"King Piers wouldn't do that!" young Adrian Murray protested. "Would he?" he asked his friend and mentor.

"I'm not sure –" Lord Aquae began to be interrupted by Icile Glacial.

"He wouldn't. It goes against his character. The relic's too _honest_ to manipulate or lie very well." So Icile could actually help Oliver's plan. Who knew?

"You say that as if honesty is a bad quality to have," growled Lord Frozenshield.

"Honest or not, he can't be trusted!" declared Conservato.

__

Maybe it's prodding time… Oliver thought before Aquae did it for him.

"Doesn't honesty mean that he _can_ be trusted?"

"He can be trusted to do what _he _thinks is best, not what is right for all of Lemuria," argued Lord Rainmeadow.

"The answer is rather simple: we keep him in check," stated Waverunner.

__

Now it's time. "And how do we do that with him sailing around the world and us in Lemuria?"

"Once again: simple. We send one of us with him."

I knew_ it_. Oliver would have to make sure he was the one who went. Any of the others… disaster.

"Shouldn't we wait for Lady Hydros before deciding this?" Murray asked. Yes, it would've been better if she had been avalible. Her going off randomly was a normallity but in this case it was an annoyance.

"She missed the meeting," Frozenshield Seaborn pointed out. "She has only herself to blame. We need to be sure that we can count on her if we are to send her out, and if we can't even trust her to show up, then we shouldn't send the _Lady_ out."

"And we need someone we can trust with _more_ than just proper attendance," concluded Conservato who trusted a total of zero people.

__

Everything, well, nearly everything going according to plan. Just pick me and we're all set. After I figure out who Melana will be staying with now that the Hydros girl's gone.

"I vote for Oliver," Adrian Murray decided.

This was turning out better than he had dared to hope. _Come on, Aquae, little Adrian is voting for me._

"I second that," added Aquae.

__

Perfect. Oliver held back a grin. "I guess I could," he replied, trying, and suceeding, to sound unsure of himself.

"Do you guess or do you know?" Frozenshield Seaborn asked.

"I know, Frozenshield."

"Good. But if he starts to make any decisions that would count as rash, try to stop him," Lord Seaborn continued.

"I'm sure Rebecca would be happy to prevent anything of that sort from happening," Icile Glacial offered.

__

Rebecca? The killer? Panic and alarm flooded through Oliver.

"You suggest letting her out one more time and she's going to get a room mate!" growled Frozenshield.

__

Good, just one of Icile's sick little jokes.

"Still, one thing for too long isn't good for the balance of things," Rainmeadow hinted. Oliver was getting a bad feeling from this.

"Not at all good," agreed Conservato, a twisted simile beginning to appear on his face.

A _very_ bad feeling.

"This depends entirely on what the 'one thing' is," Oliver said, desperately hoping this wasn't advancing in the direction he thought it was. "For instance, if Sol were to die, the world would fail without it." Maybe not the most subtle of metaphors, but there was nothing to prove that it was one.

Lord Waverunner sent him one of his unnerving gazes over his folded hands, enough to make the unpracticed squirm. "I wonder, Oliver," the man began quietly, using far more familiarity than was comfortable, most likely trying to throw him off guard, "what will become of your daughter in your absence? With whom shall she stay?"

His fear seemed to have hardened into something similar to a rock. A icy rock. "I'm sure King Piers' boy –"

"Will be going with him."

A _very_ icy rock.

Globule Aquae hung his head sadly, acknowledging that there was nothing he could do.

Murray gasped at what his friend's silence meant. "It's not…it's not right," he said weakly.

"No," Frozenshield agreed, "but it's called for." He stood and unfastened his belt-knife, sheath and all. He held the weapon out to Oliver. "If the action is necessary, don't hesitate."

Picard or Melana. His king or his daughter.

The rock had become a boulder of ice.

Oliver took the knife.


	11. to the present day Mercury Lighthouse

incomplete13: Sorry about not putting any of your people in the last chapter or even responding to you. I only got your review after I had posted chapter 10.

BTFreek: Actually, Math's deep slumber will come in handy later in this chapter, so we don't really want him to be waking up quite yet. As for the stuff you've guessed about, (1) no, I'm not planning on doing that because I'm not really fond of mudshipping, (2) yes, they'll meet and Math/Felix will literally fall, (3) yes, the Lighthouses have been out for a _long_ time, (4) not sure yet.

Vilya: They're not evil; they're just doing what they think is right. No, Sheba will _not_ be a boy! I was considering making Alex a girl, but I had a really hard time writing him as a her. It's part of the reason this chapter took so long: I gave up on it and had to rewrite a lot of it.

Vyctori: Don't worry, not even Oliver knows what to think about Oliver. And yes, Menardi, we _really_ need him for the plot: he has to get run-over. But do you mind if I borrow the line: "...'dead person' living inside of her..."?

Shadow ScytheX: Thank you!

"Kupo" person: Thanks and I'll try to.

**End of Response Section**

Ok, it's been a while since I've updated, but it's only been... checks calendar chokes on tea A MONTH AND A HALF?!?!?!?!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

3/21/04

Ok, I've fixed the ending. Unfortunately this means that the next chapter will take even longer to do since everything has been changed by my adding 454 words to the end of this chapter. I'm sorry I haven't been updating a lot recently, but life doesn't seem to want me to use the computer.

**Disclaimer:** Rallalon does not own Golden Sun, any of its characters, or items, bad moods, living oxy-morons, or the titles "Defender of the Waves, Overseer of the Sea, Rider of the Water Dragon, Ruler of the Great Land of Lemuria, Mercury Adept of Forms Three, Lighter of the Beacon, Mariner of the Winged Ship, or the Chosen Master of Water."****

.........

After four hours on a ship with seventy-two of the same kind of creatures that had killed him, Saturos was in a very bad mood. It didn't help that the ship seemed intent tossing his stomach around.

Their stomach.

Fusion was one thing but this was another. Thanks to Felix, he had learned that not all sandskins were bad, but far to many of them had cursed at his appearance for Saturos to approve of the group as a whole, much less want to be inside and/or part of one. He was a Proxan and proud of it.

It was simply too much; he couldn't be dead. Not yet, at least. He still had so much left to do.

But he _was_ dead. And in a sandskin's body. It wasn't right.

Satornil looked over to Felix and Picard, forcing Saturos to see the pair as well. Felix was joking with the other man, trying to guess his age.

"You. Are. Old," he finally stated once it became clear the boyish appearing Lemurian was into his ten thousands at least.

"Maybe you're just very young," countered the Lemurian.

"I am seventy-five years old and dead! You are _really_ old." Felix seemed to be taking light his death, something Saturos doubted he could ever do.

In Saturos's perspective, Felix had been an eighteen-year-old boy just a few hours ago. Then Saturos had died and pulled Menardi down with him. And little Felix had grown up.

That was what stung off the most; he had never seen Felix reach his peak of swordsmanship, to see the Lighthouses lit, to complete his duty. Felix was his responsibility; Saturos looked after the kid and stopped him from getting killed.

But Saturos had died, and Felix had grieved then grown up. To be seventy-five. The boy had surpassed him in age and wisdom. Houres, the boy wasn't even a boy anymore! He had even completed what Saturos could not.

All because Saturos went and tripped!!! He was completely useless! For that one little thing, he had died and pulled Menardi down with him.

He had killed Menardi...

He was worse than useless! He couldn't do his duty or protect those close to him. Quite the opposite! He was a dull-edged sword with a poisoned hilt!

Are you... ok? 

The sooner I get to being dead like I'm supposed to the better. He was even a burden on the sandskin. Now, _that's_ useless.

"You don't really mean that, do you?" What? Oh, he had spoken aloud.

Saturos studied the blue-haired man for a moment. He appeared to be the second oldest of the Lemurians on board, but he was by far the most enthusiastic. _Lemurians..._ He would've been thrilled to meet a legendary Lemurian what felt like six hours ago. Of course, to him it was six hours; to the rest of the world it was hundreds, _thousands_ of years. Maybe even millions.

"You don't really mean that?" Andrew repeated.

Satornil, deal with him. 

Me? He's talking to _you. You_ deal with Andrew. 

Fine... "Well, I _am_ dead, aren't I? I just happen to be taking a little break on my trip to the world of the dead by possessing some idiot's body against both our wills."

"It's reincarnation. It's what my people believe in," Andrew explained cheerfully as Satornil fumed.

"You know what my people believe in? We believe that when those that have been deemed worthy die, their sprits change into dragons of light and are guided by Tiamat, a dragon of shining flame, to a land where it is forever warm. You see any dragons around here?"

"Well, the _Seamist_ looks a lot like one." The Lemurian was an idiot, a living oxy-moron. He might just have been trying to cheer him up, but Saturos was in no mood to consider that.

"That's- that's great. I'm, we're going to go talk to...that guy now," he hurriedly excused himself.

"Did he mean that I'm _you_?" Satornil asked. Saturos could feel the boy's fear of a "yes" answer. Wait... Saturos could feel Satornil's emotions.

Saturos stopped in his tracks (not a very hard thing to do as the heaving of the ship barely left him with the ability to stand). Now _those_ were some frightening ideas. "Even if that's true, you're not _me_. You're me reincarnated. There's a difference."

"Like what?"

"You two _do_ realize you're talking out loud," Jenna or Jen pointed out from across the deck.

"Yeah, so what?" they replied defensively.

"Well, we're worried about it, too."

"Oh."

.........

Felix watched in amusement as Andrew roamed around the deck, looking for someone to talk to. He had so far bugged the flude out of Saturos/Satornil and was moving on to the other Proxan/Russian. Still, he couldn't blame him for his curiosity. A civilization without Psynergy, but with something called "science"...

It was like a dream: Saturos and Menardi were back. But shouldn't he be talking to them or something?

((You're afraid,)) pointed out Echo.

Afraid of what? 

((You're grown up. You're older than they are even if it doesn't look like it on the outside.))

True. Your point? 

((I'm _getting _to that! You've realized that not all the things they've done are right. There were other paths they could've taken that wouldn't get anyone killed. They just didn't see those paths in time. And just think about it: your daughter was older than them when you died!)) That was disturbing. ((The reverse is also true; you're afraid they won't like the man you've become.))

Alright, I get it now. 

((I'm not done yet! I still have to tell you about– ))

Echo, you may have gotten smarter, but you never did learn how to shut up, did you? 

There was no response except for a offended feeling Felix knew Echo was showing on purpose.

"Felix? Are you alright?" Picard asked suddenly.

"What? Uh, yeah, I'm fine."

"It's just that you've got a white-knuckle grip on the helm. Mind if I take it?"

"Your ship," he replied, stepping aside. A new thought struck him, making him steer the topic off in another direction. "How do you know the Lighthouses need to be relit?"

"Go to sleep with a headful of Jupiter Djinn and you learn things."

"Like that sleeping with any sort of Djinn in your head is a bad idea?" Felix offered.

"No... well, that too. But it gives the effect of being a Jupiter Adept. On a lesser scale, of course. That's why having Matthew asleep is handy; he can dream of where the Mercury Lighthouse is. And so-"

"And so it saves a lot of time wandering around trying to find it just because we don't know what it looks like and therefore can't Teleport to it!" Felix finished excitedly.

His sudden increase in volume caused more than one person to look his way. The Lemurian by the name of Oliver Crest stared at him longest, finally distracted by Andrew who had begun to get on Crade's nerves. Not everyone had the pacience of a Lemurian.

"Keep your voice down," Picard ordered in a hushed voice. "But don't whisper; that attracts attention too."

"I take it you've had some practice at this."

"Plenty."

"What's the deal with Crest?"

"He's here to make sure I don't do anything 'rash or unwise.' The other Senators made him come."

"'Other'? He's a Senator? Maybe you should reconsider doing this now–"

"No!" The Lemurian hastily lowered his voice. "No." The old mariner gave a sigh. "The power of Psynergy is draining from the land. Right now I can be sure that there are at least three Mars Adepts and one of Venus in the world. Possibly more. At any other time I would doubt it."

"It's that bad?!" Felix asked in surprise.

"Let's put it this way: the ratio has gone from one in fifty being an Adept to one in a million. When the factor of how many people in the world still meditate to the level to consciously use Psynergy is added in... I wouldn't be able to find two Adepts that were alive at the same time, let alone three. And then there's no telling if one of them would be Mercury or two of them having the same alignment. It has to be done _now_; there is no other choice!"

Felix chose his next words carefully, trying not to show his hope as if doing so could stop it from being squished. "How do you know there's a Jupiter Adept around?"

"You, Jenna, Kraden, Saturos, and Menardi are reborn, and I believe I've already found Isaac and Garet. Your incarnations were all in the same town, Makrina and Satornil visiting from the cold northern country of Russia where Matthew was staying for a while; everything is repeating itself. Differently, sure, but it's repeating."

Felix found it hard to breathe. "So... Sheba?"

Picard grinned knowingly. "Being a Jupiter Adept, she might've already remembered you."

"I'm in. I'm so in, you can't get me out."

"I wouldn't want to," Picard replied, an amused expression spreading across his face.

"Still... the Senators will kick you out for sure," Felix reminded, waiting to see the gulp or wince that was sure to follow.

Picard just laughed. "I'd like to see them try."

He was a little _too_ happy for the situation. "I'm serious; Hydros has got to be dead by now as well as Lunpa, and it's not very likely the new one would be very sympathetic to your case- Why in Weyard are you laughing?"

Picard seemed to consider his word choice while he stifled his laughter. "Actually, I think I'll be _very_ sympathetic to my case."

"You mean...?"

Picard nodded. "Now I get to be introduced as Defender of the Waves, Overseer of the Sea, Rider of the Water Dragon, Ruler of the Great Land of Lemuria, Mercury Adept of Forms Three, Lighter of the Beacon, Mariner of the Winged Ship, the Chosen Master of Water, the Mighty King Piers. And that's the short version."

"Not bad for the son of a fisherman," Felix remarked dryly. The day got weirder by the second.

"Not too bad at all," Picard agreed. "Just don't call me any of that."

.........

"May!" Gary exclaimed upon seeing his younger cousin waiting for him by the baggage pick-up of the Attawapiskat Airport. The small ten-year-old he remembered had become nearly average height after six years, her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, dyed black. It may have been six years since he had last seen her, but she was still recognizable.

But there was at least one major difference: there was a guy with her. Gary felt protectiveness welling up inside of him. It wasn't an unfamiliar feeling for him and occurred because he didn't have many friends; he didn't want to lose the few he had. Ironically, this led him to be hostile to and make enemies of a good deal of people. Ian for example: Ian had had a crush on Gary's girlfriend since the first grade and so Ian had been picked on since the first grade.

"Hey, Gary!" she replied gleefully. "Who's your friend?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Gary said, raising an eyebrow. "And, uh, this is Ian. Say hello, Ian."

"Um, hi," Ian greeted nervously.

May smiled softly in that reassuring way she had, before getting distracted by how Gary's little brother had started to excitedly greet her. "Hi, Eric. You've gotten taller!" Of course the kid was; the last time she had seen him, he was four!

After that, Gary's sister Kayla pulled her away from the main group, claiming she needed May to "show her where the bathroom was." Yeah right, they were probably going off to talk about May's new boyfriend in private.

Eric had then turned his attention on trying to find his bag where he had stored a gift for his favorite (and only) cousin who he _really_ liked. Gary's mom had gone with the girls either because she actually needed to go or wanted to know about mystery man, too. Most likely both. Ian was, thankfully, in conversation with his mother and wouldn't bother Gary for a while.

Unfortunately it left Gary with mystery man. "I take it you have a name." That was about how friendly Gary could get.

"Friends call me Xander," the black-haired teen replied. He looked to be about eighteen or so.

_Xander? What kind of name is that?_ "Is that short for anything?"

"Alexander," Xander supplied. "I have a friend who's a Buffy freak and after she called me it once, it just stuck. And you're Gary, right?"

Gary nodded, keeping an eye on the luggage retreval conveyer. "About May –"

"We're not dating," Xander interrupted. "We just met at the dye shop."

Did that mean... "You're a bluehead?" May had been having her hair dyed ever since she entered school. People tended to stare at blue-haired kids, no matter what age group.

It was Xander's turn to nod. At closer look, the black color of his hair did seem like it was dyed. "So, changing topic, why did May bring you along?"

"Simple: she wanted to meet you guys here and she doesn't have a car."

Gary's eyebrow rose again. "_You_ have a car?"

"Well...no. It's my dad's. But that's how you're going to get to May's place. Two of you at least."

"Alright," he replied, grabbing his trunk off of the little waist-high conveyer belt. "What are we waiting for?"

.........

"Picard, should it be taking us this long to get to land?" Jenna asked impatiently. Maybe as a sixty-eight year old woman she had been a little bit more patient, but she had gone to sleep and woken up sixteen again. If it weren't for her real body being dead, it would be a fun situation.

"Actually, yes; the world has grown. And we're waiting for Gust and Zephyr. Zephyr for speed, Gust to keep him in line."

"Why? And why do we have the rest of the Djinn with us?"

"The Djinn wanted to come; I wouldn't have been able to stop them from doing so if I tried. As for Gust and Zephyr, I needed them to get something. Once they return, we wait until Oliver needs to use the pot and then Teleport out to the location Matthew dreamed of."

Jenna nodded, but raised an eyebrow. "We wait until he uses the pot?"

"Well, we can't have him seeing us Teleport off or coming with us. Oliver's honest; he'd have to tell the Senate everything he saw and there are some things the Senate's best off not knowing about. We'll have to leave Andrew, too. The boy talks a little too much."

.........

Zephyr, you twit!Gust snapped. He had been doing that a lot. Why couldn't the Djinni understand that Zephyr wanted to have a bit of fun? Picard wants, no, he _needs_ the Lapis back as soon as possible! Why won't you just Teleport back to him?

Gust was really getting on his nerves. Fine!

And with that Zephyr Teleported, leaving a very annoyed Gust behind.

.........

"Aahh!" Andrew yelped at the sudden appearance of the Jupiter Djinni and nearly fell over the side of the _Seamist_ in his shock. He didn't know many of the Djinn by name but there was only one this fast little guy could be. "Don't do that, Zephyr! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Zephyr gave a apologetic squeak and zoomed off, something between his legs. What was that thing? It had a definite feel of Psynergy to it; that even Andrew could sense without touching it.

Oh well, Djinn were strange and King Piers had lots of items that fit that description; a egg-sized jade that made the ship hover, a small square piece of reddish rock that caused tremors, a white brooch with a red stone of some kind in the center that made things explode, a black ball that appeared to have a red outline whatever way you looked at it with the power to make its wielder invisible in the dark. The last seemed to be a bit of a pointless power; who needed to be unseen when it was already too dark to see? It even gave the wielder an aura of Pysnergy when it was in use, making the wielder visible to the trained eye. Pointless.

It may have been pointless to Andrew, but the King treasured the small sphere. Supposedly it had belonged to the father of King Piers before a thief by the name of Babi took it.

Andrew wasn't sure he even believed in Babi even though the tale of how Babi and Lunpa came to Lemuria had been one of his favorite stories as a child. That might be the reason he didn't believe; King Piers had told him other stories that were most definitely not true. The "Wise One," for example: it was a floating rock with Psynergy!

Maybe Lunpa was real at least; Lord Aquae claimed he had found a book written by the man called "The Great Adventures of Lunpa". It seemed Lunpa had had a bit of an ego problem, but the book would be a fun read when they returned to Lemuria.

Despite himself, Andrew wished he was still a child so the King would read to him like he used to. It had been so long since the day King Piers had taken him in, Andrew could barely remember what life had been like before hand. He remembered his mother well enough; he had visited her once a decade or so since the incident. It was his father he had difficulty remembering. That wouldn't have been a problem if his mother hadn't murdered the man.

But such was life when one was the son of Rebecca the Killer.

.........

Ian was in a car with the same person who had bullied him since the first grade and two people who were the next closest thing to complete strangers. The only difference from complete strangers was that he knew their names. Not much of a difference.

The plan of the car ride had been go straight to May's house but had quickly evolved into a trip to someplace Gary, May, and Xander called "the Blue Lighthouse" because apparently it was fun to try to get to the top of it. Not they had ever succeeded.

Personally, Ian would rather have waited with his mother, Mrs. Jerra, Kayla, and even the incredibly hyper Eric for Mr. Jerra to arrive. At least he sort of knew those people. Or, better yet, he could've gotten on a plane and gone to Russia to see his father.

Of course those where fantasy and Ian didn't really have much of a say in the matter.

What else was new?

.........

"...and that's why the windows in airplanes are slightly rounded instead of rectangular; otherwise the outside of the plane would start to crack and break apart. Obviously, that would make the plane crash," Dr. Crade concluded.

Oliver Crest was having the most interesting day of his life. First, he had had to manipulate the King of Lemuria in order to make his near treason un-treasonous. After that, he had been tasked with the responsibility of supervising the King's actions; the very idea was unthinkable. Next he had been given the duty of _killing_ the King, to commit treason, if the action was "called for." It was more than apparent that the other Senators (minus Aquae and Murray who didn't have the stomach for even the thought) actually wanted him to commit the murder and say it was "called for."

The boulder had been steadily growing and getting colder by the minute.

And now, he was learning about _flying machines_ from a _sixty-year-old man._ He couldn't decide which was more foreign to him: that metal machines could fly or that a boy of sixty could look like he was a thousand.

Dr. Crade was sixty and yet he was a man instead of a child. Oliver had appeared younger than the girl Jen when he was sixty. Somehow Dr. Crade was much more mature than Oliver had been at the same age.

But as Picard had said, "When a Lemurian is slowed, _all_ of him is slowed. With few exceptions." What the exceptions were was sleeping, digesting, and fast thinking; unfortunately, Picard was most likely the only Lemurian capable of "fast thinking" so that part didn't count for much.

And speaking of digestion... "Excuse me, Dr. Crade. I must... see to a few things."

"What kind of... things?" Even if he had the appearance of an old man, he was still as curious as a child was.

A Venus Djinni landed on Oliver's shoulder. "Go through the main cabin, then to your left and around the corner. It's the last room on the right." The elemental's voice wasn't the insulting chorus Oliver had heard before, but a voice that had a strange quality to it, as if rocks and trees where speaking.

"You're not Echo," Oliver thought aloud. So which other Djinni could talk?

"That's the best compliment I've been given in _years_. I'm Flint," the creature replied and hopped off.

Without the company of the Djinni, Oliver went below deck in hopes of finding the chamber pot. Because of how Lemurians are "slow"ed, they're slow to forget, but they're also slow to remember. This means they have notoriously bad short-term memories unless they work at making it otherwise, so Oliver happened upon a storage room, the first door on the right.

With a sigh, Oliver turned back to ask what the directions were again.

Then he felt it: a massive amount of Psynergy being used. It was from the deck! Oliver raced back, luckily with very little distance to race across for he was rather out of shape. He bounded into and through the main cabin, opened the door, plunged out onto the deck where he was immediately surrounded by the loops of blue Psynergy.

They thickened, surrounding him completely, blinding the out-of-breath senator with their azure light. The ground lurched unpleasantly under his feet. And just as suddenly as they had appeared, the blue rings disappeared.

Unsteady, Oliver stumbled, fell to his knees and placed his hands on the deck for support. But it wasn't a deck anymore, but a blackish rock-like substance. The air smelt strange, _wrong_. Where was the salt? The sound of the ocean? _What happened?!_

"Oliver!"

Oliver looked up. There was Picard and the outsiders standing on grass off of the rock. Strange, there was a white line painted on the rock a little away from the edge. _What is that for? _he thought, standing up slowly.

"Oliver!" Picard cried again, trying to warn him of something, but his next words were drowned out by the most unpleasant sound. It was like a strange horn, and it was coming from his right. "Halt!" The sound abruptly stopped, as did the huge monster of metal that had been about to run Oliver over. It pulsed with the faint glow and object got when Psynergy had been used on it.

He shakily stood up. "What... what happened?" he tentatively asked his king while all of the others in the group walked away from the strange road, into the trees on the side.

Picard sighed. Whither from the question or the mental strain of keeping the metal monster still, Oliver didn't know. "Be assured; everything will be explained to you once we're back on the ship. But for now, follow me and don't leave my sight; the world has changed in ways not even I fully comprehend." And with that, he went off in the direction the foreigners had gone, still shining with the Psynergy the kept the car in place.

"Has the plan changed?" he inquired, carefully picking his path between trees while the king simply strode ahead, as if he were walking on a level floor. If Picard had done some more of his fast thinking, it would mean trouble for both king and lord.

"No."

"Then why..." The realization dawned on him as he tripped over some underbrush. Lords _really_ weren't meant for hiking! "You've been planning this all along!" He _hated _being left out of a ally's plan.

Picard kept walking, his face straight, his body relaxed although he was still using Halt. How long could he keep that up? "But _what_ have I been planning?"

Oliver had only the foggiest, but he wasn't an idiot, whatever Lord Conservato thought. "Something you don't want the other Senators to know about. Something that will force Lemuria to join the outside world." That was a given.

"In part. But what?" They were approaching a clearing with some sort of building in it. "I'll give you a clue," he said, stepping out into the clearing. "What is that?"

Oliver stumbled out of the woods behind him and looked to the building to which the king was pointing. And there, a majestic azure tower rose out of the over grown grass, gracefully reaching toward the sky. Here and there, blocks of it had turned into rubble over great mounts of time and climbing vines attempted to cover the entire structure, but even this could only add to its beauty. It was grander and had lasted longer than any other building in the history of the world, even the Palace of Lemuria. It was breath taking.

"Oliver?" Picard prodded.

"I have no idea."

"_That_ is Mercury Lighthouse. And today is the day its beacon will shine once more."

Oliver could only stare, his hand reaching toward his knife hidden in his coat, his mind locked onto one thought: the action was called for.


	12. to present day Mercury Lighthouse Aerie

MiraiEvo: Usually I do update once a week. Unfortunately, I've been too busy to write much lately. As for the groups coming together, the first two will meet up shortly. Since I edited the ending of the last chapter, I suggest you reread it.

BTFreek: The wacky-theory reviews are good; they show that you actually like this fic well enough to think about it. Yes, Andrew is Rebecca's son and the Gary and Ian conflict will come up again. But as for the Lord Crest thing: he was, but not anymore. In other words, I edited the ending of the last chapter so I would have a cliffhanger instead of nearly killing the opposition. It'd be good for Picard, but not for the plot.

POTATO MAN: Thanks for the info.

****

End of Response Section

I've had a _lot_ of problems for this chapter. I wrote over 14 pages of the events that would result from the ending of the last chapter before I changed that ending. When I changed the ending to something that would be better for the plot, none of what I had written fit in with that ending. So 14 pages of writing went down the drain. After that, I wasn't too eager to start again.

Sorry.

On the bright side, I have figured out the ending of the fic. All I have to do is get there, which will take roughly thirty chapters(hopefully less, but you never know). So stick around; this fic is _far_ from over.

**Disclaimer: **Rallalon does not own Golden Sun or any of its characters, items, or locations. Nor does she own squirrels, telephones, categories, or a hyperventilating Lemurian. Strangely, the curse "flude" actually _is_ her own creation.

…………………………………………

"_That_ is Mercury Lighthouse. And today is the day its beacon will shine once more." Picard watched as Oliver processed this information. The poor boy's brain seemed to have shut down by the way his hand was twitching toward a pocket inside his coat. He was probably reaching for smelling salts or the like to make sure he didn't pass out. Picard gave the boy a comforting pat on the back. "Follow when you're ready or wait here."

His eyes closed, Oliver didn't move. Oh well, he'd be all right later. With a sigh, Picard jogged up to where the others were standing outside the doorway, unable to get in without a Mercury Adept.

He looked up at the heights of the grand building in awe. There was something about this ancient decrepit structure of Mercury that felt so familiar to him. If Picard had been a building rather than a human, he would have been this mighty tower.

Without a word to his companions, he laid his hands on the Pynergenic barrier over the doorway. _Lower your shield, Lighthouse of Mercury, Blue Tower of Water. I have come to make you whole_. For some reason, Picard fancied this tower as an sentient being of some sort, seeing if it would respond to him even before he cast Ply.

As if the Lighthouse understood him, its shield dropped.

Picard grinned and entered.

…………………………………………

Sheena Fara stared at the wall, willing images of another place to float before her eyes. This worked best when what she was looking was white or close enough; any color would cause the image to look tinted. _Focus_, she told herself. _I can do this_.

A presence waited in the back of her mind, allowing her to do it for herself.

She could do this. She _would_ do this.

Picturing a man's face in her mind, she willed her eyes to show her the same. Once it started, the vision would keep going by itself, but first it needed a starting point.

An image flickered before her eyes, solidifying. A moment later, Sheena was staring at just a wall again.

She sighed. The problem was getting it to start.

Take your time, Sheena. You don't have to get it right the first time. 

………

"Milord!" Andrew called, thoroughly panicked. He ran back below deck.

"Milord!" Where had King Piers gone? Andrew rechecked every room; no sign of him.

"Where are you?!" He had felt a blast of Pysnergy from the deck, but before he could see what was going on, all signs of the blast had disappeared. So had everyone else on the ship.

"Milord!" The last time he had felt a blast like that… Andrew missed his father. His father was gone. He hadn't come back. King Piers was gone. He…

"Andrew! Andrew, calm down! You're hyperventilating!" a Venus Djinn commanded. Now why hadn't he thought of asking one of those elementals?

"Flint, do you know where they've gone?"

"Who?"

"Everyone else who was on this ship!"

"What about them?"

"They're missing! Do you know where they are?"

The Djinn looked like it was considering its answer. Finally after a painfully long time, it said: "Yes."

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Where have they gone?"

"They're going to be back soon."

The Lemurian began to become annoyed. He might not be the biggest book on the shelf, but he still knew when someone was playing dumb despite what some people thought. "I didn't ask when they'd be back. I asked where they were."

"I don't suppose 'Canada' means anything to you?"

"Not really."

"Then they're in Canada."

"And King Piers _is_ coming back?"

"Kid, we're on the man's ship. Of _course _he's coming back. Sooner or later, he'll be back."

Andrew sat down and tried to breathe. No, King Piers wouldn't abandon him. Not on purpose. Not unless he was stuck somewhere against his will. Not unless he was dead. Not unless…

__

I really need to stop thinking.

………

"What are you honking at?" Gary questioned him as the car screeched to a halt. "I like squirrels as much as the next guy, but aren't you going a bit over-board?"

Xander blinked. What the hell had happened? One second there was a flash of blue light, a bunch of people appeared and then disappeared as fast as they had come. Maybe he did need glasses. Or he was hallucinating. Either way, he had plenty of reason to pull over. "Did any of you guys see that?"

"The squirrel? No."

"Well, we're here anyway," May said. "We can just cut through these woods. But maybe we should wait a little before you drive again, Xander," she added, getting out of the car.

"So none of you saw that?" Xander inquired again. "That flash of light?"

"Well…" Ian tentatively began, "Was it blue?"

"Yeah. Yeah, it was."

Gary looked at the pair of them like they were nuts, but thankfully May interrupted before he could say so. "Why don't we just go to the lighthouse?"

………

Menardi looked around at the familiar corridors. It seemed like only a year ago that she had been here. Less, even. But if it had been less than a year, how had all these passages turned to rubble so quickly? How had all the climbing vines grown over nearly everything? How had so much of the water dried up? "How long have I been dead?" she asked Picard, king of a myth, who had only just remembered he was using Halt. How anyone couldn't notice the strain of using Pysnergy for half an hour was beyond her, but one thing at least was clear:

Felix had met some _strange _people after she had died.

The Lemurian king shrugged. "About a million years."

"I'm serious."

Picard gave her a look that said quite clearly that he was as well.

That's insane! Menardi ranted to Makrina. I didn't feel like anytime had passed. One moment I was tumbling down Venus Lighthouse, the next I was with you. 

And strongly affecting my emotions. 

I take it you mean your newly found attraction to Satornil? 

It's not newly found; it's newly made. And it's your fault! 

Makrina, you're going into denial. You've got it bad. 

No, what I've got is a boyfriend back in Prorva that's going to pummel Satornil's head in! 

What's his name? 

Menardi felt the other's puzzlement. Agatal. 

Figures. 

………

Oliver looked around, completely confused. He had blinked, and everyone else had disappeared. Everyone was gone, leaving no trace. Well, no trace that he could detect; he was a lord, not a woodsman!

He wasn't completely alone, he realized, hearing the sound of people trampling though underbrush. And with that realization, four people came trampling out the surrounding woods. The three boys and one girl, all dressed rather strangely, gawked at him and he gawked back. The girl even had the gall to not only wear trousers but to wear them so short that her legs, knees and below, were showing! The indecency!

The red-haired boy stepped forward. "Not to be rude, but… what are you doing here?"

Oliver's brain went into overdrive. He needed a response that would let him seem at least semi-normal in the outsider world. "I'm here with a few friends of mine, and we're here because…" Now what would make sense? "Because one of them, an archeologist by the name of Dr. Crade, wanted to study these ruins."

They were still staring at him. Of course! His outfit, although completely normal to him, was completely foreign to them. "It's a bit of a bother really," he continued, thinking up a reason these uncultured children would except. Wait, who said they were _completely_ uncultured? "I have this play I need to get to, and here I am, in full costume, and they go and leave me outside!"

Another one of the boys, a blonde, nodded. "I know the feeling." Oliver gave an inner smile; he had found common ground.

The redhead did a double take. "Did you say 'Dr. Crade'?"

Was the archeologist important? Or, more significantly, was he important in a way that made one of his acquaintances stand out? Maybe bringing him up had been a bad move. But… just because one of them hadn't completely heard him didn't mean the others hadn't. Therefore, he couldn't change his pervious response. All this flashed though his mind in less than half a second, giving him the nearly automatic reply of "Yes."

The girl, puzzled, asked the redhead, "Isn't that one of the people your dad is looking for?"

Redhead nodded. "He's one of the missing guys, yes." Red directed his next question at Oliver. The boy suddenly took on the personality of an interrogator. "Have you happened to have come in contact with a pair of Russians, a girl and her male cousin, and a man by the name of Picard?" Forget about interrogators, the boy had the tone Picard had used when he discovered Rebecca Stormwind had killed her husband, a man who had been one of the king's closest friends at the time.

But as for Picard… _The Senate was right; Picard has been making a mess. But why do I have to be the one to clean it up? And why does he have to die? But as for the moment, I can't let them on, so it's time for lying through the teeth._

Aloud, he replied, "No, it's just Dr Crade, his assistants, my son Piers, and Piers' friends." After causing this mess, Oliver felt that a tad bit of payback would be in order for the king. Plus, Picard's physical age was fitting of a child, he would respond to his last name, and it seemed safe enough to assume that the red-haired interrogator didn't know that name.

After a pause, long enough to feel authentic, short enough not to make it feel like he was over-thinking things, Oliver continued, "Plus, I don't think that…Jim is missing." Actually, Dr Crade's first name probably wasn't Jim. But then again, that was the whole point.

__

Picard owes me for this, Oliver thought as he went on to elaborate about the play he was in and how proud he was that his "son" had gotten a starring role. _Picard really owes me for this._

………

Matthew was pretty much asleep in the sense that he wasn't aware of what was going on around him. As far as he knew, he was still in bed. Heck, he didn't even know if he had ever gone to bed or had simply been left to doze where he had collapsed.

But, even asleep, he still knew something weird was going on. He'd find himself in the middle of a perfectly normal dream of killing wolfkin and other random monsters with something called a "Grand Gaia" and suddenly realize that this was a far from a normal dream. He dreamed about staring dumb-founded at the spot where the familiar peek of Mt Aleph had been, only to find that he had never even heard of Mt Aleph.

Then there were the dreams about _her_. He'd been getting little flashes of the dream for months, feeling like he knew this violet-eyed girl even though he knew he didn't. But now… now they were like his own memories, wither he was jumping off a Lighthouse (he didn't know why it needed a capital L; it just did), telling her that it was _finally_ her turn to get the firewood, or just doing whatever.

Then the strange thing happened. It was a small pain in his foot, as if he was walking with a stone in his shoe. Of course that was ridiculous, he thought in his slumber, I'm asleep; I can't be walking.

But he was.

And he was sitting down to take off the shoe and take the rock out of it. His fingers felt the sharp edge of the tiny rock; his behind felt the chill that came of sitting on cold stone. There was something else, too. Something that his half-asleep mind couldn't quite figure out.

It was as if there was a voice in his head, thinking/saying: "Oh, putrid flude! Matthew's waking up."

How strange.

………

Picard was starting to wonder: were they going the right way to get to the Aerie? Although it shared his element, he'd never been to the Lighthouse before. And the directions of Saturos and Menardi might not be quite accurate. After all, they'd been dead for a million years, no matter how little time they thought had past; they could've forgotten things. _Moldy fish bait! Their brains have to have rotted into nothingness by now! How can they remember anything at all?!_

[The mind is a different thing than the brain,] Shade reminded.

[He's right, you know,] Spring agreed.

I don't care! And I shouldn't have brought you two along; Andrew will know I'm gone if you're not there. 

[Unless he's suddenly gone blind, deaf, and is unable to sense Pysnergy or the absence of it, he's already figured that out anyway,] Spring reasoned. [And calm down! You've endured worse pressure than this.] The Djinn being right was only the first part of his annoyance.

Having to do this again was bad enough, but with the Senate sending Oliver after him and Oliver actually managing to come… Not to mention how much trouble it was now that his friends had shown up in an age where this sort of thing was caused by drugs and anyone who admitted to having company in their skull would be medicated and thrown into an asylum.

[I thought you _wanted _to have your friends back.]

Picard was really getting to hate whoever had made up the saying "Be careful what you wish for; it might just come true." _Nobody_ should be right about such a warning that often. The ancient mariner felt a strong need to curse.

Felix did it for him. "Oh, putrid flude! Matthew's waking up."

A strong will and millennia of practice at keeping his face straight let Picard get off with only a grimace. _Perfect. Another complication._ "Alright, Felix. You stay here. Jens, you two should be here to help Matthew cope." He paused for a moment and decided it couldn't hurt to ask.

Spring? 

[You want me to stay here with them so you can stay in touch with them. Am I correct?]

What gave me away? Picard asked good-naturedly.

[Well, I am sitting inside your mind; I shouldn't have to be aligned to Jupiter to read it,] Spring replied while switching to Standby.

[Plus, we've known you practically all your life; that's a _long_ time to learn how to read someone.]

Point taken. 

And so, Spring comfortably in the arms of Jen/na, Picard hurried on with Crade, following Makrina/Menardi and Satornil/Saturos. _Someday,_ he promised himself, _I'll come back when I've got more time._ The building was amazing. Even more amazing was that he hadn't thought to visit without the Mercury Star; the entire place, from top to bottom, was overflowing with the presence of his element, a marvelous experienceMy_ element? I'm getting more a bit prideful_. Still, just one look around the place filled him with the simple pride of being a Water Adept, a thrill he hadn't felt since he was young.

The Russians/Proxans led the way up winding corridors, along deteriorating hallways, and finally a dead end with the wall covered with the only waterfall Picard had seen throughout the entire Lighthouse; it seemed the rest had dried up.

Saturos gritted Satornil's teeth. "I hate this part."

Menardi grinned mockingly at him. "So the great warrior's afraid of a little water?" And with that remark, she plunged through the wall of water, much to Picard's and Crade's surprise.

Saturos and Satornil, annoyed at this taunting show, dove in through after them.

__

Of course… Picard thought, watching the water more carefully now. _The waterfall covers the door, as part of the Lighthouse's defense system. How much more of this will there be?_ He probed with his Pysnergy to tell where the wall ended and the door began, and he too leaped through the cascading water.

Water pushed him to the floor, the opposite of what the substance of Mercury usually did. For a moment he stood in the downpour, adjusting to the pressure of the powerful torrent, delighting in its might. _This_ was the strength of Mercury, its tranquil force unleashed. He would've laughed had he been able to breathe.

The one drawback of water. No, not the drawback of water; the inefficiency of humans. What he would give to breathe this liquid element. For something that changed form with the temperature, water was practically the only constant in his life. Gaia, it _was_ the only constant in his life, apart from the Djinn of course. People lived and died; water endured for the ages. The substance of Mercury been in the world before the Lemurian race had come into existence; it would last longer than even he would.

The only constant in his life? It was the only constant in the _world!_ Not even the world's _name_ could stay the same for long. Fires burnt out, the wind stilled, trees died and mountains ground themselves to dust, but water would always remain.

His train of thought was interrupted by Crade pushing him all the way through the doorway. "Do you have a death wish?" the sodden archeologist asked. "What were you trying to do: drown yourself?"

Picard simply shook his head, spraying droplets of water everywhere. What use was there trying to explain what the element of Mercury meant to him? He looked around the small chamber and a Pynergenic voice, the voice of the Lighthouse filled his ears: _He who honors the goddess of the rainbows shall be guided to the heavens upon winds of fluid grace._

The goddess of rainbows? A guide? That would mean Iris. But what was he supposed to do? Picard turned around and looked back the way he had come. A rainbow arched over it. Well, why not try? "Iris, I honor your name," he murmured in Lemurian.

Nothing happened. So much for that idea.

He turned to his right. There was a statue in the corner. The sculpture was of a woman, a head and shoulders taller than him, pouring an urn of water that was hoisted onto her left shoulder. Her stone hair, the blue shade of a Adept from Imil, flowed down her back. Her dress of rock seemed to ripple as if the woman was Halted while a breeze whispered around her.

Maybe it wasn't the rainbow that was the representation of Iris, but the statue. It was a strange portrayal of the summon, true, but still… "Iris, I honor your name."

Still nothing.

He turned to the smirking Proxans/Russians in defeat. "Ok, what am I doing wrong?"

"All you have to do is Ply."

Picard stared. "That's it?"

"Just Ply to the statue."

Picard hated feeling like a twit. "Ply."

This time something did happen: a burst of pale golden light began at the base of the waterfall and worked its way up. The was a great rumpling, strong enough to knock them all to their feet. Picard, clinging to the statue, stared in astonishment at what happened next:

The water flowed up. The entire waterfall suddenly consisted of water that did the exact opposite of falling.

Only practice kept Picard's jaw from dropping.

"Well, King, do you want to do first?"

Picard nodded numbly at Makrina's offer. Once again, Picard stepped into that doorway.

And went up.

………

"Jen, please tell me you're kidding," Matthew pleaded.

Matthew, she's not, the voice said before Jen could even shack her head.

Matthew shuddered. He was hearing voices. He'd finally cracked. When had that happened? When he was asleep? When he was wielding that sword? _The sword!_ Of course! There had been something wrong with it; even Picard had said… well, he had said something about it. It wasn't Matthew's fault that he couldn't remember. He _was_ insane after all.

Matthew, you're not insane. Just calm down for a bit and let us explain this to you. 

"Go away!"

Matthew felt a surge of irritation and annoyance from the voice. Oh yes, he was _definitely_ insane. Do you remember the Djinn? The little creatures hanging around Picard? Like the one your cousin's holding? 

"How could I forget?" Those things were disturbing. Wait, Jen was holding one? Gaia, those things were dangerous as well! Matthew didn't exactly have any proof of this, but still…

Have you seen the Djinn pop in and out of people? 

"Yeah, it's how I met Picard."

Ok. The voice paused, unsure of its new choice of words; it was picking up Matthew's vocabulary as Matthew was picking up his. When a Djinni is Set, he's inside the person, usually an Adept, who Set him. The Djinni can talk to that person through a sort of mind link, like how they can when they're on Standby, but stronger. Think of me like a Djinni; I won't hurt you, and I'll do my best to protect you. And you don't have to talk aloud. Just think to me. 

I don't want your protection! What I want is you out of my body! 

You think I want to be in here with you? You're a wuss and a child! 

No, I'm not! 

Hey, I'm seventy-five years old and a warrior in my prime. If I say you're a wuss, you're a wuss, Matthew. 

You're an old guy? Strange. Matthew had always thought that if the voices were to have some sort of age, they'd be his.

I'm an old guy who saved they world. I'm also the father of a wonderful daughter, the grandfather of two boys and a cute little girl, the uncle of a powerful Fire Adept, and the great-uncle of a set of triplets. My name is Felix. 

Um, I'm Matthew. Feeling like his intro was missing quite a bit, he added, I like reading, drawing things, and going on the computer. 

What's a- 

Felix was interrupted by a giant rumble that vibrated throughout the entire building. Come to think of it, where was he?

Mercury Lighthouse, Felix answered and took control of Matthew's voice. "This means that it will be lit soon. We should head out if we're going to meet up with the others."

Did Jen know that it wasn't him talking?

"Right, Felix." Apparently she did.

………

Picard looked around, dazed. It seemed he had blanked out while riding up the waterfall. Strange, that. There seemed to be no way to get up here; the waterfall was nowhere in sight. Despite that, he, Makrina/Menardi, Satornil/Saturos, and Dr Crade were on the top left spire of the Mercury Lighthouse, just a few steps away from completing their goal.

[Who _cares_ how we got up?] Shade demanded. [We're in the Lighthouse Aerie. Or on. I can't think of the proper preposition, but we're here.]

Picard stood up, more because of the Djinni's will than his own. His hand felt around in his pocket until he found the mithril bag containing the Mercury Star. He was afraid he had lost it in his watery ride. He gave a sigh of relief.

Saturos/Satornil groaned and sat up. "I _really_ hate that part. The sooner we can get this over, the better… Oh, flude," he cursed.

"What?" Crade inquired, weakly standing up. "Did you just realize that we will most likely _never_ be dry again? I realized that the second I saw Menardi go through the waterfall the first time."

"No… Well, yes, but that's not the problem. Not the main problem anyway."

Even with the knowledge of approaching distress, Picard had to surpress a smile. Being wet as a problem. Ha!

Menardi followed Saturos's gaze with her own. "Flude," she agreed. "There's supposed to be these… floating stepping stones so we can get to the main part of the Lighthouse."

"And they're not here," Crade remarked. "That _is_ a problem."

Picard carefully crept to the edge, laid down on his stomach, and looked over the side. "No, they're here. They just aren't floating."

"A lot of good that'll do us," Saturos remarked dryly.

"You do realize that we can't even get down unless we reach the other spire over there?" Menardi pointed out.

"Once again," Crade replied, "That _is_ a problem." He paused for a moment, thinking. "Picard!" he exclaimed, full of hope, "What about that hovering thingy you told me about?"

"The Hover Jade? I left it on the ship."

Five people stared at him with three pairs of eyes.

"I thought we wouldn't need it until we got to Jupiter Lighthouse," the mariner hastily explained.

There was a long pause.

"So we're really stuck up here?" Crade asked.

"Yep," Satornil replied.

"With no way down?"

"None," Makrina said.

"Not even any food?"

"Forgot to bring that too," Picard admitted.

"Well," Crade surmised, "this really _is_ a problem."


	13. to present day Mercury Lighthouse Beacon

Kyarorain: Tell the OBHL that they're going to have to wait if they want to kill Oliver: he's needed for the plot.

8BTFreek: That's for telling me about the repeat; I fixed it as soon as you pointed it out. The Lemuria Company Theater Troupe? Hmm, I could have fun with that… But that's an idea for another fic. For your question of "And what would he have to gain by having to stay up there?" Answer: Nothing. That's the entire point, Freek. Picard is trapped up there, and he can't even manage to get down, let alone accomplish his goal. Unless they think of something, they are stuck. As for Makrina being the girlfriend of Agatio's incarnation, I've read a few Menardi/Agatio fics and tried to see if I could work that in. I know it's unfair to Saturos and Satornil, but it makes for an interesting sub-plot.

Alexditto: hypnotized I will update… I will update… I will update…

MiraiEvo: Hmm, could Xander warp? That might come in handy for later chapters…

Potato Man: Yeah, the fic probably_ would_ make more sense if you played the game. Too bad I've thrown in a whole heap of spoilers. Sorry about that, Potato Man, but, then again, Picard himself is a spoiler of a sort.

WildfireDreams: (Review #1) I can relate.

(Review #2) Sorry, as long as the story's in progress, Oliver is not to be killed and/or mutilated. Once the fic's over though…

Evil Bob: I know how annoying it is to read a fic that keeps shoving a pairing that you don't like in your face again and again and again, so thanks for continuing to read the story even though you dislike Lighthouseshipping.

AmandaZgreat: A girl sits down to check her email, wondering… Yes, a review! The girl begins to read, and by the third line, she is torn between grinning broadly and wondering if someone had read a masterpiece and reviewed her fic by mistake. Unable to choose, she does both. By the beginning of the forth paragraph, instead of grinning, she is glowing with pride and instead of wondering if the review is for someone else, she is nearly praying that it's for her. She reads the line "I actually have so many questions… all of which will make me sound EXTREMELY stupid if I ask them" and thinks, "Hmm, exactly like Spanish Class." Then she reads on and is stunned, for she has spotted the word "flashbacks": the review _is_ for her! Grinning no longer can describe her expression.

She continues on to the fifth and final paragraph… and frowns. She immediately opens up the file labeled "fanfic" then another labeled "Reincarnation". She selects this very chapter and begins to type her response:

Amanda, you and I have something in common: when it comes to our own skills in writing, we have _very_ low self-esteem. With your vocabulary, you'd do very well on Fictionpress writing the kind of poetry that needs no clever couplets or proper measure, but instead requires someone with something to say it and a very artistic person to say it. Plus, when you finally get the idea that screams "Write me!", I have no doubt that the fic will absolutely awesome as long as you apply yourself to it. Don't be afraid of asking questions; they show that you're interested. Not that you need to prove that; there was already more than enough proof of that in your review! And don't you _dare_ think that your opinion doesn't matter! I'm a strong believer in Freedom of Speech, so if you want to say/type something, I'll listen/read _and_ give you my feedback if you want it. After all, this _is_ a Response Section.

****

End of Response Section

Wow, eight reviews for one chapter; that's nearly a record for me! But I'd need at least nine reviews for that… (hint-hint)

**Disclaimer:Rallalon does not own Golden Sun, any of its characters, places or items. Nor does she own migraines(who would _want_ to?), hold ups, smooth round objects, archeologists, blue-haired characters or half a dozen metaphors relating to water.**

………

Picard certainly was taking a long time to light the beacon, Spring realized from her comfortable perch on Jen's shoulder. What was going on? The rumble meant that he had reached the Aerie, so why the hold up? Being attuned to Mercury, Spring would've felt the increase of Mercury's power had Picard succeeded already. If only she could communicate with him.

__

Oh, she remembered, _I'm on Standby for Picard, not Jen; I can still talk to him._ It would be strained and would require a bit of energy, but this was important. [Picard!]

No reply.

[Picard!!!]

Still no reply.

[**_PICARD!!!!!!_**]

………

[**_PICARD!!!!!!_**]

Without warning, Spring's voice rang out in his mind with the intensity of a migraine.

"Oww!" _What?!_

[_What's with the hold up?_]

_What!?_

[**_What's with the hold up?_**]

Picard winced. _We've run into some trouble! We're stuck!_

[_On the Aerie?_]

_Yes! And we can't get to the beacon either!_

[_I know you haven't had breakfast, but this isn't the time to be worrying about bacon! It's the beacon that's your problem!_]

_That's what I said!_

[_What?_]

The strain was too much for these small results. _Get up here!_ The less distance between them, the easier the communication.

[_What about the Jens, Felix and Matthew?_]

_Just get up here!_

[_Coming!_]

Picard felt the Djinni switch herself to another Adept. Explaining the situation, no doubt. She wouldn't be able to switch back until she was closer and quieter, and for that Picard was thankful.

The King of Lemuria sat down on the cold stone and rubbed his temples. There was only so much of this one guy could take. Maybe a little more, but not much.

[The sooner we can figure a way out of this predicament the better. Now, what do we know about getting off of a Lighthouse?] Shade prodded.

We need the elevators to get down. We need the beacon to be lit to activate the elevators. We need to get over to the main part of the Lighthouse Aerie to light the beacon. We need the floating stepping stones to start floating to do that. So, by the Law of Transitivity, we need to get the stepping stones to float in order to get down. But we already knew that. 

[So how are we going to manage it?]

Jump, I suppose. It worked for Felix and Sheba once. 

[No, how are we going to get the things to float?]

Maybe if the beacon's lit... No, we can't light it from here. 

[Maybe I could light it.]

Worth a try, I guess. 

The Djinn went to Standby as Picard explained his plan to his three (or five, depending on how you counted) companions. He received incredulous and doubtful looks, but his plan was better than anything they had come up with. Anyway, the Proxans simply wouldn't be in favor of any plan that involved Djinn.

Picard handed the Elemental Star, mithril bag and all, to the creature of Mercury. _Fate, please let this work_.

………

[So I've got to do and help him,] Spring concluded.

"Alright," Jen replied. "Good luck."

The Djinn didn't leave her.

"What?"

[I just realized that the easiest way up to the Aerie would be to fly up from the outside.]

Annoyed, Jenna took control. "You mean we could've just summoned something that would've gotten us up to the top?"

[I don't think a summon would stick around long enough for that, and I wouldn't want to risk it. The only ones that don't leave after about thirty seconds are Daedalus and Coatlicue, and they couldn't lift up anything. Unless you'd like Daedalus to blast you up to the top.]

"Fine, I'm not that desperate." Jenna thought about it and reconsidered. "Although, with Coatlicue to heal you…"

"It's still a bad idea," Felix finished. It might have been Matthew, but he had been even quieter than Jenna's brother, impossible as that seemed for the talkative boy and the silent man.

The poor boy was so confused that Spring wondered if she could cure his bafflement. _Probably not,_ she thought, only to have those thoughts interrupted by some sound. Although the Djinn had no ears, she had exceptionally good hearing. Now what was that sound?

Voices. Where from?

From outside the Lighthouse. [We're getting close to the exit,] she told the Jens. [Oliver's talking with some people.]

"Then you should probably hide. Set."

A blinding white light filled Spring's eyes and left as quickly as it had come. When her vision returned she was gazing out through Jen's eyes, but inside Jenna's mind.

Shade thought the soul was where a Djinni rested when Set, but Spring knew otherwise. They both knew it couldn't be the heart, for that was too noisy, but Shade would never accept that they were set to the mind. For some reason, that was one of his endearing qualities. Spring didn't know why; it just _was_.

One of these days, Spring would accept one of Breath's invitations to go on a double date with her and Echo. Spending time with Echo wasn't something any sane person would look forward to, but with Breath to keep him in check and with Shade along… Anything with Shade was bound to be fun.

[Come on, Jens. Let's get this over with,] she encouraged.

………

Shade gingerly set the mithril bag down, wary of dropping the contents or setting it down too hard. The Djinni didn't think the Elemental Stars could be broken, but it never hurt to be careful. Plus, if handled too hard, some of its Pysnergy might come out and blast him. He wasn't quite sure about the latter, but, once again, it never hurt to be careful.

Shade looked over to where his human companions were waiting, unable to fly across. What a drag it must be to be human. Picard never complained about it, as was his nature, but Shade had felt his earlier sentiment. One could only enjoy humanity for so long. "Alright, Shade," his vessel instructed. "Now open it."

The Djinni rolled his eyes. He knew what to do. Using his tail, he untied the pull-strings, a remarkable act for a being without hands. So maybe humans did have something to offer.

Then he needed to unpull the pull-strings, or simply pull the bag open by biting one side of the bag and using his tail to push the other side away from him. The second seemed to be the best way.

Now the bag was open. There was still a problem, though. How does a handless creature hold a smooth, round object? Answer: Very badly.

He tried sticking it in his mouth. No good. _We should've brought big mouth Echo along; he could do this._

Now that he thought of Echo, it occurred to him that he should ask Spring out for a single date before she decided they would double with that Venus Djinn and Breath. It'd be embarrassing, but better by far than spending unnecessary time with the talkative Earth elemental.

Shade! 

[I'm working on it!]

All right, the mouth wouldn't work. Could he wrap it up in his tail and make it stay? Maybe. Maybe… Yes! Wait a sec… Uh-oh!

__

Tail = bad idea, Shade decided. At least he had stopped the thing before it rolled off.

Maybe if he tried to hold it between his legs… No, he couldn't even get a grip on it. That wouldn't work.

Maybe a combination of the two. Hold it between his legs so it couldn't go sideways and fasten it with his tail to stop it from going forward, back, or worst of all, down.

Hm… Uncomfortable, but… Yes! It would work! Now if it would stay as he floated up to the beacon… Yes! Now to light it.

How was he supposed to do that?

"Either throw it in or toss it up!" For a Mars Adept, that girl was strangely perceptive when it came to his dilemma.

Shade tried the former with no result. So he tried the latter and let the ball drop.

The sound of the Star bouncing off the inside of the beacon echoed up, but no big ball of light. That wasn't supposed to happen.

[So now what?]

Maybe it takes an Adept to do it. 

[Great. So all we have to do is to get one of you over here and get the Star back up here.]

You start retrieving, I'll start thinking. 

………

Gary let the man keep talking. So far he had learned that he was a minor actor by the name of Oliver Crest, that he had a son named Piers and was friends with and archeologist by the name of Dr Jim Crade.

The only archeologist Gary knew of was named Dr Crade, and he was missing. He was also a link to Gary's girlfriend, also missing. If by some strange and twisted chance, Jim Crade turned out to be Crade the librarian…

Eventually, Mr Crest's companions would have to come out. Then Gary would either find his girlfriend and solve his father's case, or he would feel rather silly and go on with the plan of exploring the tower.

He hoped it would be the former.

Still, Mr Crest _was_ a pretty good storyteller. He had given them a summary, but at Ian's encouragement, he had gone on to reenact several of the scenes from his play, _The Mariner King_. May, Xander and Ian were quite an attentive audience, bursting with excitement for the action scenes and laughing at the quick and witty come-backs all the major characters seemed to have tucked up their sleeves. Maybe it was the plot line that did it, or maybe it was the man's skill. Over all this didn't matter, for even Gary, waiting for some sign of Jen, couldn't help but snickering at a few of the lines. Although Mr Crest was playing a Senator instead of the narrator, Gary was tempted to see the play himself.

"And so," Mr Crest continued, "Lunpa was amazed at the sight he received as he waited at the docks. There, coming around the bend in the water-filled tunnel, was the _Seamist_! Lunpa stood agape, for the ship, she had gained wings!" Even as he gestured to emphasize how remarkable this was, the man took on a look of surprise and amazement, much as Lunpa would have. "Picard, spotting his old friend's expression, laughed, and then, with the aid of his magic jade, he pulled the ship aloft!" His expression changed to stupefied awe, nearly conveying the awesomeness of the mighty vessel to his four person audience using only his posture and tone of voice.

The unbelievable tale was so realistically told that Gary could've sworn that he heard Picard laughing. Come to think of it, it was rather odd that a blue-haired character in a play would so closely resemble the blue-haired teen Gary had met in the park. Everything down to the golden eyes and even his name…

"Jen! Math!" Gary's thoughts were interrupted by Ian's surprised greeting.

What?! There, standing the doorway of the great structure was Jen, laughing behind her cousin.

"How…?" Gary muttered dully. He had thought about this happening, but the actually occurrence of his daydreaming had caught him off guard.

He was stupefied even further when a small blue beast sprung out of his girlfriend with a blinding white flash. Dimly, he noticed that while the flash made it hard to look at Jen, it lit up none of her surroundings.

As the beast zoomed up the side of the azure structure, Jen stifled her laughter and said, "A little over the top, Lord Crest?"

Mr Crest, uh, Lord(?) Crest looked a bit embarrassed. He shrugged. "Where are the others?"

For a reply, Jen simply pointed up.

………

Makrina was bored. Bored out of her mind. She was stuck up on top of a Lighthouse with nothing to do. Except wait. And think. And try to figure a way to make this work.

And the Ukrainian Carol was stuck in her head. And she didn't know why. And it was getting annoying. And she was both bored and annoyed out of her mind.

Oh look: here comes another one of those…things. By no means were either Proxan fond of the Djinn, helpful as they might be.

The Djinni placed itself on Standby to Picard. The old king's eyes widened. "We've been found by two friends of Jen's and a pair of Mercury Adepts." He grimaced. "That means one of them is Alex. And I had so hoped he hadn't come back." The last part the muttered quietly to himself.

Unfortunately for him, nothing was too quiet for a Proxan. Saturos shrugged Satornil's shoulders, and spoke in "defense" of the irksome Water Adept. "I admit he's annoying at times, but –"

"He tried to take over the Earth. Weyard. Whatever."

Menardi raised an eyebrow. "The world was called 'Whatever'?"

Picard gave her an amused look before laughing a rich, pleasant laugh. "Maybe someday it will, but right now I have the beginnings of a plan."

Let's hope it's better than the last one, Makrina remarked, careful not to express this sentiment aloud. After all, she hadn't come up with a single course of action, let alone a good one.

"Right now we've got two Djinn that we can use to summon. No summon stays for long, and our only options are Mercury and Nereid. A pair of Mercury might be able to blast one of us across the gap, but it would be painful even if that Adept was to get to the other side. And if they didn't… As for Nereid, she might be helpful if she'd lend us her turtle for a bit." He paused, slightly doubtful. "I _think_ that thing can fly."

"No way," Satornil responded instantly. "There's got to be a better plan. Anyone know that it is?"

There was complete silence, save for the wind.

………

Gust was lost. Gust was totally and completely lost. Zephyr was the one with a sense of direction, and he had left Gust stranded.

Gust examined his surrounds for the umpteenth time. Nope, still clueless.

The Djinni suddenly felt an Adept calling him and it wasn't Picard. The Adept had to be Jupiter for only Jupiter allowed for this type of communication to stretch great distances, and the presence of this Adept was practically on the other side of the world.

Hello?

Gust? Is that you? 

Um, yes,he replied, confused. Who is this?

This is Hama. 

And her reincarnation Hua. 

Gust's mood brightened considerably. Greetings, Hama. Nice to meet you, Hua. Would the two of you like me to join you?

Could you instead go to the airport my brother will soon be departing from and follow his plane? 

It seemed that not even being dead could change Hama's down-to-business attitude. If I can find it, I will,Gust promised.

Thank you. It also seemed Hama's modern counterpart had a little more people experience than Hama did. I'm sending you the… Well, I guess you could call it the address. 

And so it was! Gust had somehow received the knowledge of where Ivan's plane was and where he was in relation to it. Now if only he could have a sense of direction like this for everything…

The Jupiter Djinni shook the daydream off and set out to rejoin with his vessel.

………

Picard paced back and forth, his way of relieving stress in certain situations. Sheba had once jokingly remarked that one day he would wear a hole in the floor; had she just been joking or had she actually predicted the state of the floor in his room? It was a good thing he preferred sleeping on ground level, for he had worn out his floor as water wears away at stone; slowly, but persistently.

Unfortunately, he didn't have much pacing room and he could tell he was getting on the Proxan's/Russian's nerves.

__

Clear your head, Picard, think! You can do this; all you have to do is think. Just not in the second person.

Now what would those "stepping stones" respond to? He had already tried getting the Djinn to lift them slightly, but they would always come down shortly afterwards. Why would the Lighthouse let them up without a way to accomplish the lighting process? It was as if Fate himself was plotting against them.

He had a way down of course, but it wouldn't be wise to mention it unless all else failed. _That_ particular plan involved jumping off, getting clear of the building, and Teleporting away before they hit the ground. Risky, but possible.

__

But that's the last resort, for only if I can't think of anything. Which I can't. Any ideas, guys? 

[Yeah, how about _you_ try to lift those things yourself? They're _heavy_.]

[Why don't you just _ask_ them to lift themselves up?]

Although sarcastic, the suggestions were as good as anything else he had thought of. Picard looked over the side and in Lemurian murmured, "Mercury Lighthouse, please help us in your lighting. Give us a way, Tower of Water. I beseech thee: show it to us."

Picard heard gasps from behind him as a familiar azure glow materialized before him, forming a path of light from the elevator to the main part of the Lighthouse. Doubtfully, Picard tapped it with his foot. His boot went through the light slowly, as if through a thick jelly. This was no good. "Mercury Lighthouse, please help us in your lighting," he repeated. "Give us a way, Tower of Water! I beseech thee: show it to us!"

The pathway glowed brighter, became harder. "Mercury Lighthouse, please help us in your lighting! Give us a way, Tower of Water! I beseech thee: show it to us!"

Crade too took up the cry and was followed by the Mars Adepts. None of them knew what they were saying and they were mangling the language, but one thing was clear: it was working!

"Mercury Lighthouse, please help us in your lighting! Give us a way, Tower of Water! I beseech thee: show it to us!"

But how well? _Fate, please be on my side,_ Picard prayed.

He stepped forward.

………

"You're joking, right?" her red-haired cousin asked skeptically.

"We're not laughing," Gary's girlfriend replied.

But there was no way what they were saying was true. From what May had learned form Gary, the girl Jen and her cousin Matthew had been officially declared "missing". Between that sketchy information and Jen's story, May could piece together that the pair had most likely been kidnapped or something of the sort. This story was supposed to delay them so the kidnappers, who had been keeping them here for some reason, could escape.

At least that's what she thought before she heard a voice, familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, yelling something from above. It was faint, but May could tell it was another language. A musical sounding language.

Then more voices joined in. "Mirante Mercur, fari ayu'ny en gu blazi! Bestu'ny e rout, Rante ki Mercuren! Ye ipotun'te: ui pocam'ny! Mirante Mercur, fari ayu'ny en gu blazi! Bestu'ny e rout, Rante ki Mercuren! Ye ipotun'te: ui pocam'ny! Mirante –"

__

"– Mercur? The Rante ki Mercuren? You must come from a great place, Mia of Imil, to have lived by the Tower of Water," Picard said, impressed.

"Mariner, could you stop randomly tossing in Lemurian words when you talk?" Felix grumbled. "It gets confusing for people who don't know the language. Namely us."

Their parties had been together for over a week, but that was far from enough time to get over the wonder of knowing a Lemurian. A real live Lemurian. How could Felix manage his nonchalance? "So other Water Adepts know of Mercury Lighthouse? I didn't know this to be the case."

"The Lighthouse is a legend among my people, as my culture seems to be among yours." He grinned, highly amused. "What kind of tales do the Adepts of Imil tell of Lemuria?"

"Well, actually, they don't. We learned of Lemuria from a man named Babi. He was weird, but rather helpful…" Mia trailed off, spotting the expression on Picard's now deathly serious face.

This tone as well as his facial expression had changed to the opposite extreme. "Is th–"

"–at so?" Gary demanded. "You _can't _expect us to believe that!"

"I can," Mia said through May's mouth.

………

Picard was standing in mid-air. Correction, Picard was standing on a pathway of light that was thinner than paper. Now he was walking on it, slowly, slowly, _very_ slowly as the others held their breaths. "Mercury Lighthouse, please help us in your lighting," he murmured on the off chance that this would keep the path from dissipating. "Give us a way, Tower of Water. I beseech thee: show it to us."

He kept repeating his chant and strongly resisted the urge to close his eyes or look down. _There is no need for fear,_ he told himself, _no need at all. The way is sturdy; the Lighthouse won't let me fall._

Somehow he wasn't doing a very good job of convincing himself.

Picard dashed across and skidded to a halt right before he hit the wall. _That was easy._ Now if he could only stop trembling.

Shakily, he turned around and with his voice sounding a lot more confident than he was (he hoped), said, "Anyone else want to come?"

Crade took a skeptic look at the path. "Maybe _after_ you light it." A wise choice, but not everyone else shared the archeologist's sentiment.

"There is no_ way_ I'm letting you go first this time!" Saturos and Satornil cried competitively to Menardi and Makrina before dashing across. Apparently, it hadn't occurred to him that a walkway of Mercury might only let Mercury Adepts tread on it. Fortunately, this wasn't the case, and she/they joined Picard unscathed. Slightly annoyed, slightly amused, the other Fire Adept(s) followed suit, leaving Crade behind.

Picard started up the stairs while Crade was deciding if he wanted to stay on the elevator. Trusting the Prussians to take care of that matter, Picard focused on the task at hand and surveyed his surroundings. The gray-blue steps led up to a higher level, paved with blue-green tiles, a foot by a foot in size. There was a small railing, but it only came up halfway up to Picard's knees.

The way doubled back the way it had come and Picard noticed the symmetry of the Lighthouse, a detail that Mars Lighthouse had lacked. On the highest level was a large hole of unimaginable depth, roughly twelve feet in diameter at its lip and before narrowed down to six feet. Around the hole were arranged four statues, one on each side, and two behind it. All four were identical in shape and color to the one in the waterfall room below.

But there was one truly remarkable detail about the Mercury Lighthouse. _It's older than I am. Old enough to make me feel young in comparison_. He stood there, at the brim of the mighty shaft, soaking that unfamiliar feeling in. How old _was_ the Tower of Water?

[Picard, focus!]

Right. Slightly embarrassed, Picard dug the Elemental Star of Mercury out of its bag. The Star glowed with a soft glow, responding to the beacon even while it was in his hand. Picard cast it in.

Water Psynergy suddenly flowed over him, around him, _through_ him, crashing about him in a mighty wave. A giant sphere of Mercury Psynergy in its physical form abruptly filled his vision. Off balance from the shock of having his already overwhelming amount of Psynergy multiplied, Picard stumbled forward, his arms wind-milling. His hand made contact with the gigantic orb and was boiled, frozen, and drenched at once. The effect spread out to consume him, causing a deep pain.

The power of Mercury inside of him merged with the water element's true force, absorbed by the beacon as if it were a wet sponge soaking up even more water, pulling his mind along with it, wrenching and severing it from his body.

He was a drop of water in a lake, a sea, and ocean, completely lost among the deluge. He was a snowflake being pressed into a miniscule part of a glacier. He was bead of rainwater, trickling down a wall, merging with other beads as he went. He was a stream, eagerly cascading down a mountainside to join the greater, older river. He was a cloud, pouring himself out to the land below, losing himself in the downpour with every drop.

He had lost all feeling of being one person, lost all the sensations of having a body. It was replaced with the feeling of being part of everything, replaced with all the sensations of being all three forms of Mercury, liquid, gas, and solid. He was lost in the torrent of Mercury Psynergy, unable to find a way out, to even find himself.

And it was marvelous. Absolutely marvelous.


	14. to the present Friday afternoon at last

8BTFreek: The ending was supposed to be a mix between that, some of the meditation in the Circle of Magic quartet, and, oddly enough, playing in an orchestra. Don't ask. As for the little turncoat, acting comes with his job. How else would he be so good at manipulating people without them knowing?

AmandaZgreat: Being able to imagine what the characters look like is a sign of imagination, not insanity. Otherwise I'd be thrown into the nuthouse, since I act out all the scenes in my head before and while I'm writing them out. I actually had seen stuff that you've written even before Beta reading your fic: I've read your reviews. You've got a good vocabulary and write the way a person would talk; a lot of people don't do that.

Evil Bob: Oops. I'll correct that.

Vyctori: How many chapters are left roughly? At this rate it's about four or five chapters per Lighthouse with three left, so on second thought, it's more like twelve or fifteen. So maybe I'll have 30 chapters total, but I doubt I can write an addition of 30 chapters. Sorry about that.

As for the description, are you actually comparing this fic to Circle of Magic, or something? Cool!

headhit I'll fix those.

I plan to keep writing this fic and hopefully keep on improving. After all, what's the point of posting something if you're not proud of it and sure it's the best it can be?

Miraivo: Well, you more or less gave me the starting point from where I've determined various things that will pop up in this chapter and also why Alex is evil. I have _weird_ logic.

WildfireDreams: So basically, I either had a confusing ending or I had a cliffhanger… Hopefully the latter.

Potato Man: Sorry, I'm counting the number of review_er_s, not the number of reviews. Good idea though. Don't worry about Picard; I've figured out a slightly unorthodox way of getting him back. Wow, it seems that everyone either loves the Prussian thing or wants me to correct it! I'll be sure to include that information though.

Dracobolt: Thanks!

****

End of Response Section

I'm trying to get my update time to be around once a week or at least once every two weeks so you'll see an update twice a month. I'm sorry it's been about three weeks since I've updated, but recently my periods of free time have been completely missing the times when the computer is available, and I have a problem writing fanfictions on paper. So, in short, be happy you're able to read chappie number fourteen _this_ week.

**Disclaimer: **Rallalon does not own Golden Sun, any of its characters, items, and or locations. Nor does she own very cold lakes, possessed people, confused people, people who can't remember the names of other people (with the exception of herself; she _does_ own herself), thinking in the second person, dizziness, shades of blue, mindsets, or Norse mythology.

………

"Come _on_, Dr Crade. It's easy to walk on. Really, it is."

"How can you be sure it will support someone who isn't an Adept?"

"Poke it with your foot or something!" Saturos yelled out in exasperation. He then abruptly felt as if he had been thrown into a _very_ cold lake and yet somehow remained dry. He felt Satornil's growing dizziness and need to sit down.

And that could only mean one thing: Picard had lit the Lighthouse. Now they needed to get down before the Lighthouse sent the Mars Adepts spiraling into the deep dark pit known as unconsciousness.

"Are you two, uh, you four… Are you alright?"

Huh? Since when had Crade crossed over? Come to think of it, when had Satornil fallen down? And was it just him, or had the Lighthouse gained a little bit of an extra boost to be affecting him this quickly? Or was it that Satornil was so much weaker than he was?

A glance at Makrina confirmed she and Menardi were in the same state. Of course, Menardi wouldn't let a little thing like her diminishing consciousness stop her. As proof, Menardi heaved Makrina up and started up the stairs, only turning back to say, "Crade, help him. I've got enough problems moving _myself_ around."

She thought he needed the old man to help him! We'll see about that! Satornil told him, sharing his sentiments. They hoisted themselves up and were about to send a comeback in the girls' direction when they saw the smile on Makrina's face.

For someone who's not that good of a strategic thinker, she sure knows how to get people to do what she wants, Satornil commented as they climbed.

I was going to say that, Saturos replied, a bit confused. They must be getting closer to one another because of the joint effort of getting to the beacon. Usually, Saturos let his Russian counter-part have the control over the body, but here their strength was draining to the extent that it took both of them to do most of anything. Both of them noticed that they had the same walking and stair-climbing pace: weird.

It was getting rather unnerving how alike they were becoming. Or maybe how alike they had been at the start; Saturos wasn't completely sure on the issue.

Neither was Satornil.

"Guys," Makrina called from further on up, "we've got a bit of a problem!"

………

Xander was thoroughly confused.

What had started out as a favor to his almost-girlfriend had rapidly turned into a crazy event, featuring a story-telling lord and his almost-girlfriend's cousin's missing girlfriend being possessed. Then there was his almost-girlfriend's cousin's missing girlfriend's missing cousin being possessed too, along with the addition of his almost-girlfriend being possessed as well.

Yep, he was confused. Maybe he should start learning what their names were and, in Gary and May's case, actually using them.

Speaking of May, she and Gary's missing girlfriend… Jen was it? She and Jen were arguing about the whole deal, but it seemed they were rather confused as well.

The only "possessed" person that wasn't talking was Jen's cousin, a boy looking to be around sixteen or seventeen. His name either had either not been uttered or had simply been forgotten by Xander. Probably the latter; he didn't have the best memory for names.

Xander looked the guy in the eyes. Even from yards away, he could still see that a person with a scarred spirit was looking through those eyes.

The guy looked up…

…_and met his gaze. "Alright, Alex. This is the point of no-return." The Venus Adept looked back down into the depths of the beacon. "Ready to cross it?"_

Alex could've laughed at how funny that sounded coming from him. In fact, he had done so, judging from the confused look on the Valeman's face. "Felix, you misjudge the situation; that line was crossed a long time ago. Crossed the moment we accepted the truth."

Felix's brow tightened, a sign of him thinking of things that upset him. The squire thought he was unreadable, but Alex knew his every thought. The Mercury Adept schooled his face into a similar expression, not wanting to show his amusement. I know every part of you, Felix. You can hide nothing from me. Not your dying hopes, not your hesitation, nor your doubt. Not even the fear that threatens to devour you whole.

"Are you ready yet? I thought you wanted_ to be the one who lit the beacon, Alex!" Menardi snapped, roughly handing him the mithril bag containing the Mercury Star. So short of temper, so hasty, so sure of herself and yet so completely unknowing. She even thought that she and Saturos were still in control. A perfect tool._

Alex suddenly had a strange feeling. Just a flicker that was quickly repressed. What was it?

Whatever it was, it's not important_, he decided._

He looked around at the members of his party. Impatient Menardi was apparently experiencing a mixture of excitement, nervousness, and irritation, judging by the set of her ears. The male Mars Adept was watching him intently while keeping an ear aimed at the elevator, ready to hear anything that was coming up. Kraden was clearly filled with excitement, being the crazy old kook everyone thought he was.

And Jenna… Dear Jenna was standing by the old scholar's side, her nervousness and anxiety shown clearly on her face. The girl, so dear to her brother, so dear to so many, half wanted to help them, half wanted to have her friends come and take her home.

And like Felix, she thought she was unreadable. How little both of them knew.

The flicker again, stronger. Gaia, what _is_ that?_ he asked himself. _No matter; I'll figure it out later.

"Alex?" Felix asked, his inquiring gaze adding "are you all right?" to his question.

The feeling returned stronger than ever, strong enough for Alex to know what it was. Guilt,_ he thought both skeptical and amazed. _I'm feeling guilty._ He had thought he had run out of guilt when he knew he was betraying Mia; apparently he hadn't._

Grimacing and guilt-ridden, Alex cast the Mercury Star in. As a wave of Water Psynergy flooded…

…out from the lit beacon, encompassing them all. Something inside of Xander responded to it, growing larger, but still miniscule. But that wasn't the only change, not by a long shot.

He was gripped by a fierce panic, a panic that wasn't his, a panic caused by the approach of an early death. Something grabbed control of his body, making it jerk, before stopping and looking around in bewilderment.

What am I doing here? a confused voice warily asked. I can move again, but this isn't right… The force in control of his body turned his head, looking about. That's Mercury Lighthouse! it exclaimed, surprised. What's going on? 

Exactly what Xander wanted to know.

………

Makrina studied the scene in front of her in disbelief. From what she had learned from Menardi and personal experience, the Lighthouse was a powerful force when lit, and the ball that floated over the shaft was the core of that power, the physical form of the Lighthouse's element. It was a force that could weaken a Fire Adept meters away. So it made sense that touching that core was a bad idea.

A bad idea that Picard had apparently gotten.

The king was completely surrounded by halos of Psynergetic light, but through them a few details were clear. The Mercury Adept was leaning on the swirling blue sphere, his feet on the rim of the shaft, his right arm from elbow down was in the orb of the pure quintessence of Mercury. His head lolled about on his shoulders; the Psynergy proved he wasn't dead, so Picard had to be unconscious.

But using Psynergy while unaware was what you were doing never had good results; it had a strain on the mind and wasn't controlled. Still, Picard didn't seem to be actually _doing_ anything with it; he was using it because he was filled to bursting with it. It was as if he was a cup overflowing with water: the liquid overflowed all around the rim without being poured in any direction.

"Flude," Saturos cursed from behind her in a whisper, not having strength to waste on speech. "Things are never simple are they?"

The Lemurian's body leaned in further as more of his arm was pulled in. A little while later and he would either be suspended by his arm or have it pulled off.

"Gets better and better," Satornil agreed in Russian.

When will they ever learn that sitting around all day doesn't do anything? Menardi asked her silently. Let's pull the twit out while the boys contemplate our predicament. The pair of them shakily strode up to behind Picard, two people forcing one pair of legs to walk. On three. One, the Proxan started.

Two, the Russian continued.

Three! they cried in unison and grabbed Picard by the back of his jacket. Before they could even pull, a searing pain exploded in their minds and in Makrina's hands. Ice as cold as the Tundra tried to freeze them. Waves swept them about and under-tows attempted to drag them down to the depths of a Psynergic sea. These forces Menardi could partly shield from her counter-part, having a bit of experience with each, the former from living in Prox, the latter from rescuing Felix's parents from drowning. After that little swim, she had sworn off the entire activity, but she still knew how to do it.

But the third part was the worst: steam. Makrina had been burned by steam once before; she hadn't so much as _touched_ a kettle since. Menardi, however, was caught completely unaware. In Prox there was no such thing as steam, and because as a Mars Adept she knew how to stop flames from burning her, she had never been hurt by heat in her entire life. Rather strange, considering how it would happen to her in death.

But it did. They were being scalded, seared, and scorched by the steam for what felt like an eternity of wet pain. Anguish that was so excruciating neither of them could even remember how to scream lasted for an eternity.

And then it stopped.

Makrina weakly looked around and felt a band of pressure in each arm, between her elbow and shoulder. Unable to stand, she tumbled to the floor of the Aerie, ripping a belt out of Satornil's hand and one out of Crade's.

__

Wait… her mind dimly thought.

Belts? Menardi asked her, in the same feeble state.

And indeed they were. It seemed Satornil and Dr Crade had been to afraid to touch her directly and had risked having their pants fall down instead. Not the best plan, but smart.

She looked over to where Picard was. By pulling her out, they had pulled Picard with her a bit, but only about an inch. But the, before her very eyes, that inch was recovered by the Lighthouse Beacon.

Even her afflicted mind knew that certainly wasn't good.

………

Who the heck is Alex? Matthew asked Felix. It seemed that nearly everyone around here was recovering some sort of ancient personality and a guy by the name of Xander had just done so. Alex and Xander… what a bizarre coincidence.

__

No more than Jen and Jenna, I suppose… It was still weird.

Instead of answering in words, Felix sent him a swarm of memories: a roof-top in Prox, an argument in the Elemental Star Chamber, a small cerebration after Mercury Lighthouse that Alex wanted no part of, washing up on Idjema, the inn in Alhafra, the outskirts of Champa, healing in Jupiter Lighthouse, news of betrayal from the Wise One, and seeing the remains of Mt Aleph… Alex's burial place.

So… Not good? 

The was a long pause before Felix answered him. Depends… the Venus Adept replied at last.

On what? 

Reasons. If he was insane or not. That sort of thing. 

Did you say insa– 

Sorry, but in case you haven't noticed I've having a conversation with the said Mercury Adept too and it's getting rather difficult with you talking too, Felix interrupted, rude in more than one way. Sensing Math's now sullen mood, he continued with a more gentle touch. It's been a long, weird day. Can't an old geezer vent a little? 

You're not an old geezer. 

To save himself the trouble of having to conversations at once, Felix didn't argue. Matthew could pick up on how the Venus Adept was noticing how he wasn't acting old at all in Math's young body. He wasn't sure, but Matthew could've sworn he felt Felix concluding that it was the lack of aching joints and a limp.

Matthew mentally shook himself and tuned in on what Felix was making his mouth say, wondering if this was what it felt like to be a Tok'ra. _I'm _way_ too addicted to the Sci Fi channel,_ he admitted to himself.

It was Alex's or Xander's turn to talk. "Felix, do you honestly expect me to believe such a ridiculous story? This has to be some trick of the Wise One." Alex, then; Math seriously doubted Xander would know about the Wise One.

"Alex, check around in the back of your mind. There's someone there. You're in his body." Silently to Matthew, he added, Speak in English to him; he'll have to realize that, with Xander's knowledge, he understands. 

What do I say? 

Any thing you want. Try to calm Xander down or get Alex to stop repressing him. 

Matthew mentally nodded. "My name's Matthew." Well, it was a start. But Xander's face was already bearing a confused expression.

The expression changed, still confused, but as if it were being used by another person. "Are you being…possessed, too?"

That had to be Xander. "Felix is sort of… rooming with me except instead of sharing a room, we're sharing a body. Freaky, yes. Annoying, yes. But… Fine, at the moment, I can't particularly say anything good about it, but there has to be an upside somewhere."

May I? Felix asked.

Mi casa, su casa. Well, actually, in this case, it's more like: mi cuerpo, su cuerpo. 

"Alex," Felix began, "We don't really have time for your suspicions right now. A few of our party are still up at the top; they've been there a while longer than it should take. They might be unable to get down. That's where you come in."

Xander's eyebrow arched. "You want me to Warp up to the top? For whose incarnations?"

"Kraden's and the Proxan's."

"Which batch of them?" he asked condescendingly.

"Saturos and Menardi," Felix answered simply.

Is it just me, or are you leaving out Picard? 

The latter. Alex isn't exactly fond of him. 

Then aren't you lying? 

It's something Alex himself taught me: don't give extra information unless people ask for it. He was only asking about incarnations… 

And not about Lemurians, Matthew finished. He wasn't sure if this could be defined as something smart or something… else.

While the pair of Venus Adepts were having their chat, Xander's eyes had been closed and rings of Mercury Psynergy began to float up from his feet. They surrounded him, disappearing at his head, and Alex began to flicker in and out. Abruptly, he stopped.

"I can't…" he uttered, stupefied by this development. "This kid's holding me back." He blinked. "Did I just call him a goat?"

………

Despite how everyone else around him was having trouble standing, Dr Crade was feeling fine. The Russians were out of it, Makrina especially, but the stubborn will of the Proxans was clearly stopping them from giving up.

Makrina sat up weakly as he removed his and Satornil's belts from her arms. "It hurt…" she croaked out feebly, her voice sounding as if she had been screaming. The belts had most definitely been a good idea. "Why didn't it hurt you?"

"I don't have any Psynergy." That little statement was both a blessing and a curse to him. A "blurse" of a sort.

"But we do," Satornil or Saturos said. "and it didn't hurt us either. Plus, Psynergy can hurt a person who doesn't have it as much, if not more, than a person who does have it. Must be caused by physical contact or something…"

"I only grabbed his jacket," Makrina argued.

A thought struck Dr Crade. "I remember talking to Picard about something. It came up when he said he had had his headband thing since he was a child. Since that had to be literally a million years ago, I asked him how that was possible. He told me it was because of this thing he could do called Restore. He had done it so many times that his Psynergy was practically the only thing holding his clothes together."

Makrina gave him a funny look. "Can you get to the point? I'm having trouble understanding English right now."

"Psynergy wise, touching his shirt is as good as touching his arm," the archeologist concluded.

"You could have just said that…" Satornil/Saturos sleepily said from his position on the Aerie's floor. "So…belts?" he asked, holding his own up.

Dr Crade took it. "I'll get Picard hooked up. You work on standing up." Something flickered at the edge of his vision, but when he turned it was gone. Maybe the Lighthouse was getting to him too.

He fastened Satornil's belt around Picard's right arm, wishing the holes went down further. If Picard's arm hadn't already been melted off or something, it would be squeezed horribly when they pulled the king out, but there was no other useful place to put it. Thankfully, the other was long enough to go around his waist and still have an adequate amount of belt left to pull on.

Satornil's body had gotten to its feet, but there was no telling which of its occupants was responsible for it. He weakly reached for the belt around Picard's midsection. It was clear that he would lean back and let gravity do the pulling for him.

"Ready?" the archeologist asked. "On three. One."

Dr. Crade prayed it would work. What if the Beacon had consumed the king's hand, leaving them nothing to pull out but a stub? "Two."

What if the Lighthouse decided to suck them in too? "Three!"

Satornil leaned back, supported by only his fasten on Picard. Dr. Crade joined in, and more and more of the Lemurian's arm appeared bit by bit. But just as he believed Picard would come out, their progress slowed, the Lighthouse reluctant to let go of the Adept.

Wait… Maybe the Lighthouse actually didn't want to let Picard go, as a child refuses to part from a new toy. It might just be stupid personification, but it was worth a shot. After all, nothing _else_ was working!

"Mercury Lighthouse!" he called. "Would you, uh, mind letting Picard go?" The Russians were looking at him as if he were mad.

"Well, why not?" he hissed at them. See if _they_ could come up with a better idea!

Turning his attention back to his one-side conversation with a building, he continued, "We're going to visit, um, your, well I guess you could call them siblings, and light them too."

The beacon pulled back harder than ever, jealous, and the sphere took on an icy shade. That had _obviously_ been the wrong thing to say. But on the positive side, he knew the Lighthouse would respond to him now.

"But I'm sure Picard would love to come back. He seemed to be rather… rather… rather taken with, uh, some of your waterfalls earlier."

The beacon stopped pulling Picard in, but didn't let go either. The orb of Mercury Psynergy, however, took on what could only be described as a proud blue.

The Russians/Proxans gaped at the sight. Although the whole thing was his idea, Dr Crade was fighting the urge to let his jaw hang slack. So flattery worked with all things; not just animate ones.

"As an archeologist, I'm amazed with how well built you are! Over a million years old and still retaining all of that detail on the walls! Simply extraordinary!"

The blue became even more prideful. Picard slipped an inch.

"But I fear you might be inadvertently hurting Picard in your eagerness to… uh, play with him."

The proud azure changed to a denying navy blue.

"Not intentionally! It's simply that although Picard is an incredibly strong Adept, he's still not strong enough to withstand your Psynergic might."

The sphere gained a proud, but questioning tint. "Why aren't you affected?" it seemed to ask.

"I have no Psynergy, so I can't sense it. But judging by how the simple act of doing so is making Makrina and Satornil so weak… Your Psynergy must be _very_ strong."

A slightly bashful blue. "Well, they're only Mars Adepts," it seemed to say in mock-humility.

Dr Crade had to chuckle at this, although he knew it might just be his imagination playing tricks on him. "It's quite possible that Mars Lighthouse might think the same thing of Mercury Adepts."

The sphere took on the look of a raging sea. "Then _Mars_ Lighthouse would be wrong!"

The old archeologist realized he had stumbled on to something. "Well, how strong are the Water Adepts that Mars Lighthouse usually sees?"

He didn't know if it was possible for a ball of Water Psynergy to look indignant, but this one did. "Then let Mars see _this _Adept!" the waves of color seemed to roar. Picard was shaken slightly when he was mentioned. "_Then_ Mars would know Mercury to be the best!"

"That's a _wonderful_ idea!" Dr. Crade agreed.

"But…" An unsure tint appeared in the midst of the thrashing waves.

"We'll bring him back. Right after we show Mars which Element is best."

The waves calmed to a blue that vaguely reminded him of a young child. "Promise?"

"I promise."

Picard fell away from the sphere, unconscious, but otherwise harmed.

As far as Dr Crade could tell.

………

Xander thought there could be no end to his confusion. Not _only_ was he going mad, but he was taking lessons from his hallucinations! Lessons on how to send himself across or up great distances, merely by using something called "Psynergy" and a technique called "Warp".

I shall take care of the Psynergy part, Xander, Alex told him. But you are required to place yourself in a certain mindset before we can Warp together. Tell me, do you like this place? 

I guess… 

Well, don't. It's a horrific place. Totally and completely horrible. But up on the Aerie… There it's wonderful. 

Are you…insane? 

Somehow Xander knew Alex was irritated. It's the mindset! You must want above _all else_ to be somewhere else then where you are. 

Why can't you just really want to get to where you're going? 

What do you have to compare with your destination, but where you are? Alex asked condescendingly, as if explaining this to a young child. In order for that location to be _more_, your current location must be _less_. You don't want something unless it's better than what you have. 

What happens when you find the ultimate location? 

If such a place existed, I haven't discovered it yet. It's certainly not this place. No, this place down here is horrible… You get my drift. It's difficult to achieve the first time, but the process becomes easier each time. Now focus on our destination; I'll focus on hating here. 

Xander focused on wanting to get to the Aerie, the very top of this building which he had never seen. It must be wonderful up there, so grand. The entire building was magnificent, but the very peak from which one must be able to see for miles…? That would be the best place he had ever seen. It must be. It had to be.

He felt Alex's loathing for this clearing, with all these sickly trees and trampled grass. There some appalling animal had nibbled all around the trunk of a young maple tree. A retched deer had ruined the one thing in this entire place that could've been of any good; now it was dead, as all things eventually would become.

Alex's reasons were stupid at best, but despite this, they still increased Xander's longing for the top of the tower, for the Aerie of the Lighthouse! His counterparts disgust drove him to a longing that threatened to drive him mad. He _must_ get there! He **_had_ **to!!!

Distantly, he felt Matthew grabbing onto his arm…

… and releasing when they were on the Aerie. Xander barely noticed Math dashing forward to where his weaken companions laid.

They were on the Aerie! They had made it! They had reached the phenomenal and awe-inspiring place where great amounts of Psynergy filled them… but after a while… that was actually rather… dull.

A fierce disappointment filled Xander. But… it was supposed to be… He felt like crying, like giving into the great despair that threatened to consume him whole. It was… supposed… to… to… 

In a sharp comparison, Alex was as cold as ever. You become accustomed to it. 

How…? Xander felt completely crushed. How could you go through this another time? 

By realizing that some other place might be better and Warping to that. 

But you said you never found it… That it never was better. Xander had a sudden realization. It's like an addiction! You get a high and then the world is so drab in comparison! He paused. Did I just use the word "drab"? 

You must be acquiring my vocabulary. It might be good for you. 

So what?! So I can use big words as I sink into depression? 

Alex gave a mental shrug, giving Xander the impression that he'd better drop the subject. Xander also felt that Alex knew the mixture of disappointment with desperation very well. If just one Warp felt like this, what would a second feel like? And after a third? After four times? After fifty?

It was a miracle Alex hadn't gone insane! Xander pushed a sudden thought out of his mind; he didn't want to think about _that_ possibility just yet!

Alex prodded his thoughts in the direction of the ones they were attempting to rescue. _That_'s what you should be thinking about. The one who looks slightly blue with hair half-black and half silver is definitely Saturos' incarnation. And any woman traveling with him with those ears _must_ be Menardi. The old man can be none other than Kraden, and… What is _he_ doing here? A sharp flash of jealousy overflowed into Xander's mind, so strong the Canadian had to remember he'd never met Picard before; this was Alex's emotion, not his.

What's the deal with him? Xander knew he'd get an extremely biased reply, but he needed to ask anyway.

Surprisingly, it wasn't. He found his ultimate place. 

The wave of desperation swept over him again. Where was it?! he mentally shouted. He needed to find it, he _needed_ to, he **_had_** to…

Right where I had been, Alex replied, sounding unbelievably hollow. I missed it, he found it, and I want to know why. 

But where had you been? Xander knew that he should be respecting Alex's feelings a little bit more, but it was imperative that he find it! _"Imperative"?_ It didn't matter.

With Felix and the others. 

So it wasn't a physical place or a set location at all! Then I, uh, we should stay with them! 

The was an incredibly long pause. And then… Alright. But they might not want to keep us around. 

So we'd better be help. Xander went to the blue man lying on the floor. He didn't really know what one said for situations like these but there was one technique that never failed: "Hello."

"Hello," the other greeted back, the way he pronounced his "h" as a "g" gave his nationality away. "Who are you?" the Russian asked.

"I'm Xander. I've got Alex here too."

"You tried to take over the world…" he muttered, trying to get up. Now he had an accent similar to Alex's; this would be Saturos.

Both Alex and Xander were caught be surprise. "I didn't want to take over the world," Alex explained. "I only wanted the Golden Sun. Who told you that?"

"Picard."

Rage flooded through the Water Adept in a similar fashion to that of the Psynergy from the beacon. He takes _my_ place, _he_ gets to be happy there, and now _he_ is spouting lies about me! "And who told him _that_?"

The Proxan lost his temper. "I'm sure he'd _love_ to tell you that, but right now he's unconscious, and I doubt he'll be coming to for a while. But while you wait for that, why not help me the flude up!"

He took a breath, and the accent, as well as the speaker, changed. "Look, we're having a bit of a bad day…" A good portion was spoken in Russian before: "Understand?"

"Let's just get you over to the elevator; none of you need stand for that."

"That's what I just said!" When Alex placed Xander's hand on the man's upper-arm, not the shoulders for some reason, one of the Fire Adepts in Satornil's body asked, "What about Picard?"

Alex grunted in disgust and Xander dragged the Lemurian's unconscious form closer to the Proxan/Russian. Xander released the other Mercury Adept as quickly as possible; touching the man gave his hands the strangest feeling imaginable.

"So it still hasn't worn off?" asked the woman shakily standing behind him.

"What?" Xander asked curiously.

"How about I explain when we get down?"

"Deal."

You might want to know something: she just bribed you. 

Huh? 

Service for information. 

A service that we were already doing. You read into things too much. 

"Are you ready yet?" Saturos asked impatiently.

"A moment please," Alex replied, as cool as ever. Place yourself into the mindset again. 

No way! 

Alex didn't respond verbally. Instead he let Xander be aware his presence, a calm force touched by a bit of surprise. It was a simple thing Alex was asking, and it was important it was done. Alex didn't want to do it but he was stilling going to; why couldn't Xander? Was it really so hard? Wasn't there a possibility that it could be even _slightly_ better over there? Was the request really _that_ unreasonable?

Fine… Xander conceded. You don't have to try to manipulate me. He just wished he could shake the feeling that the word "try" didn't apply to Alex's efforts.

………

"Where'd they go?" Gary demanded. "How can anyone simply vanish like that?"

May sighed patiently. "It's called Psynergy, Gary. And it works through concentration and meditation. Once you've concentrated enough, you can unleash it–"

"So you're talking about magic," Gary accused. "You expect me to believe they left by magic?"

But Ian was using his regular tactic: stay out of the way. It was working so far. He would gather information from out side the fight and see if he could make sense of it without getting riled up. It was never very hard to remain calm for Ian; after a lifetime of bullies, he had developed _very_ thick skin. Anyway, this approach left him uninvolved in fights and able to notice details others did not.

For example, an elevator-like thing descending the tower's left side. He thought he saw people on it.

"Um, excuse me…?" he tentatively asked the other four. "There's something coming down."

Jen heaved a sigh of relief. "That's _wonderful_ news. We thought they might be stuck up there for life."

This set Gary off immediately, but Ian continued to watch the descending platform. Who was on it? What could make that thing work without ropes or anything?

The elevator ground to a stop, resting slightly above the floor of that part of the tower. And then the oddest group Ian had ever seen got off of it.

Xander, with an expression of absolute disdain, was helping Matthew haul a very familiar looking blue-haired man down to the old ladder. They were followed by librarian Crade, who was making sure both parts of his little group were fine. And he was followed by…

__

…a man and a woman, as completely drenched as he was. Why weren't they in the Plaza? Could he get help from them? He stopped, and was interrupted before he could even ask. "Only the two of us survived," the man muttered, distraught. What did he mean by that? Had everyone died while he had gone!? He nearly ran back but stopped when he realized the woman was talking.

"How could we have anticipated Sol Sanctum would unleash such a fury?" Her voice too was filled with its share of despair.

The fury? Did they mean the storm? This was from Sol Sanctum? How…?

"It's a miracle that even the two of us were spared," the man admitted.

__

Curious, Isaac struggled to get a look at the pair through the thick curtain of rain.

"That switch..." the woman pondered quietly, as if to herself. It was nearly a miracle that Isaac could hear her over the sound of the downpour and the roar of the thunder. "It must have been a trap…"

"But to think it could conjure up a storm this powerful!" her companion shouted, angry to have been beaten by a switch in a Sanctum.

"… Another demonstration of the awesome powers of Alchemy," the other continued.

"Regardless, we must not fail next time we challenge Sol Sanctum," the man said firmly.

"Challenge Sol Sanctum?" What could that mean?

When the woman spoke again, the despair in her voiced nearly covered by resigned determination. "Next time, we shall certainly–"

"Isaac! Wait up!" Garet yelled from behind Isaac, the noise of the rain and his splashing through the puddles almost over whelming the sound of his loud voice.

The man walked over the edge of the ledge, a slightly wet sound accompanying his every footstep. Isaac rubbed at his eyes upon finally seeing the man, lit only but the frequent lightning. The rain must be obscuring his vision or something; people weren't blue, unless it was with the cold. "You were eavesdropping on us just now, weren't you?"

Isaac thought he heard Garet say something, but it was drowned out by thunder.

"You must forget everything you heard," the woman half pleaded. What were those things sticking out from her head? They couldn't possibly_ be her ears…_

The man sighed, seeming to regret what he had just decided to do. It sent a shiver down Isaac's spine. "Don't worry… We'll help you forget." He drew his sword and jumped down. The woman…

…followed him weakly, as if only just recovering from a tiring disease. Despite this sight, a great wariness over-took him, a feeling of vigilance and alarm that was not his own.

It was like an impulse, what happened next. How, Ian couldn't say; he had never met these people, never even heard of Psynergy until a few minutes before. He did know, however, what the word his mouth yelled next. It meant the end of the world in Norse mythology, the one with Thor.

"Ragnarok!"


	15. to the present Saturday at 3am in China

MiraiEvo(x2): (1) You know, I _thought_ something looked different… I guess that speaks volumes for my observation skills. As for the Alex thing, all that evolved from your little comment: "As much as i hate him, now would be a good time for Alex to show up and teleport... but Xander can't i guess..." Thank you for that, and yes, I have _very_ weird logic. (2) I'm updating, I updating. And I fully expect you to say "danke".

The 8BTFreek: It's not odd! If you just came out of a flashback where a pair of people was about to attack you and you found that you could suddenly strike back, what would you do? AU, or not AU; that is the question! Hmm… Well, they don't have the game at _this_ point. Maybe one of the incarnations will be a video game designer when he or she's older, though.

AmandaZgreat: Finally, _somebody _gets Isaac's confusion and therefore violent reaction! I was also sort of aiming at having Alex at least semi-likable: making an enemy a semi-decent person while remaining the enemy is practically an art. I've nearly given up trying to do the same to Oliver. Maybe I should give _him_ a flashback or dream sequence…

Potato Man: Thanks, PM, that means a lot. Even if I am getting confused with everyone saying this fic is good; there has to be a problem _somewhere_, doesn't there?

Cloud-123: Updating….

TemplarofNi: It wasn't random! If you just came out of a flashback where a pair of people was about to attack you and you found that you could suddenly strike back, what would you do? No, Evan is Ivan; remember the Hama/Hua scenes? I know _now_ that Ian is Ivan's Japanese name, but I gave it to Isaac's incarnation back when I didn't know. Ni!

Alexditto: Where do I come up with this? Good question. Answer: I have noooo idea. It simply happens. The original How to Save Picard Plan was to use the belts, but then I figured "Why the heck not? I've already given the Lighthouse enough personification!" Plus now I get to have an opening scene that was really fun to write!

WildfireDreams: Don't worry, Picard's fine. Confused as heck, but fine.

Flamethrowerqueen: Well, Golden Sun being copyrighted does have one upside: I get to write really long disclaimers! Though I'm still not entirely sure that _is_ an upside… (My version of) Alex's reasons will become clear soon enough. That means, unfortunately, that you're going to have to wait for _both_ mine and Camelot's.

**End of Response Section**

6/2/04

Ok, I updated once before and all the symbol things didn't show up. In other words, all the thingies I put to show the change of scene were gone and that made for some pretty confusing reading. So I had to go back and fix it. And it didn't work. So I had to figure out _another_ way of doing it. The thingies have now been replaced with ………

Expect the next chapter in about at week.

**Disclaimer:** Rallalon does not own Golden Sun, any of its characters, places or items. Nor does she own torrents, pockets or logical conclusions.

****

………

Picard looked about in an attempt to get his bearings. They had just been atop of Mercury Lighthouse; what had happened? He answered himself aloud. "We were lost in some sort of torrent. I thought we would die." There was never any fear in his voice when he referred to death; not when he was referring to his own, at least.

[But where are we now?] Spring energetically asked from upon the Adept's head. [I've still got a major energy boost from the Lighthouse so we couldn't be far.]

Shade heartily chirped his curiosity from his perch on Picard's shoulder.

"We're knee-deep in very, very still salt-water," the Lemurian replied slightly bemused. "I don't see any land though; we should be close to it at this depth. Unless we're on a sandbar. But how did we get to the ocean in the first place? And why aren't there any waves?"

There was a child-like giggle from behind them. Picard sloshed around to see a little girl with the appearance of a young Lemurian. She stood in the water without a ripple, the hem of her azure skirt above the surface.

Which didn't really make sense. If Picard was up to his knees in water, then a girl that size should be up to her waist. And if the hem went to her knees and it wasn't wet…

The girl was standing on the water. "Of course there aren't any waves!" she laughed. "That's only when I play with Jupiter. And no land or sandbars; that's when Venus plays with me." She shifted from foot to foot shyly, not making any impact on the water. She looked up at him questioningly and slightly guilty. "Do you want to play before you're out of range? I promise I won't hurt you again; I didn't even know I was until your friend told me."

"My… friend?" Picard echoed dully. This was a lot of weird stuff to take in at once. It was all rather… surreal.

"The archeologist," the girl explained in the way only a child can explain. "He talked to me; he's nice." She frowned, remembering something that wasn't. "But he's taking you away, and we haven't even played yet!"

Picard decided to humor the girl in hopes she might actually tell him what by the Elements was going on. "What game do you want to play?"

"Fate says to be nice to guests, and since I guess you're a guest that means you get to pick which one," the girl offered.

He was very short on imagination at the moment. "How about catch?"

"Okay." A ball of water appeared in her hand. Before she threw it, she stopped and laughed once more. "You can't play catch half submerged!" Her eyes widened, the sign of her having a "great" idea. "How about all the way submerged?"

And with that, the seafloor dropped away from Picard's feet, and instead of floating, he did the opposite. Down and down the Lemurian sank, the surface disappearing from view. His decent came to sudden stop, nearly forcing him to release his breath of air.

"You don't need to hold your breath here, silly!" the child chided. "'Cause if you did, then you'd drown 'cause of me, and that wouldn't be nice."

If the child hadn't drowned, then he shouldn't either, but he'd suffocate anyway soon if he kept holding his breath. Picard took a small breath and found the girl's information to be true. Also, the water pressure didn't crush him as it might've, nor did the salt sting his eyes. Ok, guys. Have you figured out where we could be yet? 

No reply.

Guys? Shade? Spring? "Where are the Djinn?" he asked without thinking. The water barely distorted his voice.

Strangely, the girl knew exactly what the Djinn were. "They had to go help the Mars Adepts, 'cause one boy lost his temper or something and cast Ragnarok, and 'cause Fate says it's not good to lose your temper and hurt people, I figured Shade and Spring could stop the attack and heal and stuff so the boy doesn't get into too much trouble even though he lost his temper, 'cause you get punished when you lose your temper and it's not nice."

Picard attempted to make sense of the run-on sentence and come up with this response: "Well, uh, why don't we play catch?"

She grinned impishly and threw the ball, which was now formed of ice. It whirled through the water in slow motion, giving Picard enough time to adjust. "Almost forgot. And you're gonna be out of range soon and I won't be able to play with you for what could be a long, long while. Please don't make it a long, long while, Mariner King, 'cause that'd be boring."

Picard arched his eyebrow and lobbed the ice-ball back. _"Mariner King"? _"May I ask your name?"

She looked at him as if he had just said something incredibly stupid. "Yeah, but you already know it."

"It seems I have forgotten." He had forgotten what it was like to play with a child, too. How long had it been since he and Andrew had done this?

She laughed again. "You can't forget that quick! You just called me by a couple of my names a few minutes ago."

__

I did? And "a couple"? How many names does the girl have? "When?"

The girl seemed to be finding the guessing game a far better activity than catch. "When you asked me to give you a way. And you still haven't said thank you!" she accused.

A strange thought occurred to him. "Mirante Mercur? Mercury Lighthouse?"

Mirante Mercur grinned. "Yep!" The ball of ice melted back into liquid. "Now let's play a different game." She cocked her head, curious. "Do you know how to stand on your head?"

………

Matthew could sense Felix's anger. He could sense it to the point that he knew a better name for it would be rage. Therefore, he used the tiny portion of wisdom he was blessed with and proceeded to the back of his mind, letting his ancient counter-part do the talking.

"Isaac, if you **_ever_ **do something like that **_ever_** again, or just something that would endanger their lives **_again_**, you will obliterated to the point that there will be absolutely **_no_** chance of there being enough of you to be reincarnated **_ever again_**. Are we clear on that?"

An old Venus Adept stared out through Ian's eyes. "Felix?" he asked, confused by much more than the transition from the realm of the dead to the realm of the living.

Yeah, you probably should've mentioned that little detail first. That's the body of one of my _very_ few friends, and he'd probably be puzzled to say the least if he thought all the death-after-death threats were coming from me. Matthew realized that most people would be afraid of Felix in this state, but Matthew had just realized Felix couldn't hurt him. Not without hurting himself at least. This knowledge made him a tad bit stupidly bold. Mind if I talk now? 

Felix gave him his wordless consent, but only after a very deep breath. They died before, he explained. I don't want it to happen again just because of some stupid reaction of his! 

Matthew didn't have anything he could say to that. To have your friends murdered by your other friends… What could describe it?

Even if Felix wasn't having emotional issues, Matthew still couldn't've explained everything Ian and Isaac needed to know. Luckily there was one archeologist nearby who could. "Doc?"

The man straightened up from his position from beside Picard who still hadn't moved. Even when the Djinn popped out of him, there had been no sign of consciousness. "How long has it been since you called me that?" he asked with a small and weary grin. "Just last night, wasn't it? This has been one _very_ long day."

"Very," Matthew agreed. "And I just woke up. Could you explain what's going on to Isaac and Ian? Or just make sure they don't keep on Ragnaroking every Proxan they see."

"Alright, but you try to find where Picard's carrying the Teleport Lapis. There's Djinn that can help him on the ship," he explained.

"Ok." That couldn't be too hard.

It turned out it was. Having relatively few pockets, the search through Picard's clothes wouldn't be a problem. It was getting started that was; how does one muster up the courage to pickpocket a Lemurian king?

Oh, come on. Once a mariner, always a mariner. He just has a crown now that's all. 

Matthew still didn't do anything. He has a crown? 

He's king; he has a crown. That's the way these things work. 

I'm not going through a king's pockets! 

Then I'll do it! 

Not with my body you don't! 

"What are you doing?" interrupted Xander.

"Trying to find the Teleport Lapis," Math answered.

"By staring at him? Have Venus Adepts discovered how to learn Reveal?" Alex asked sarcastically.

"Math doesn't feel that it's right to rummage through Picard's pockets," Felix explained.

"Then _I_'ll do it." And with that response, Xander's body squatted down beside the Lemurian and began to perform the act. "Matthew's correct; it _does_ feel not right."

"So I take it you've never done this sort of thing before?"

"I haven't," Xander replied. "I don't know about Alex though. Hey, is this it?" he asked holding the Lapis up.

Felix nodded and reached for it, but the Mercury Adept(s) withdrew it. "You're taking us with you," Alex stated, springing to his feet.

I _knew_ something like this would happen, Felix remarked bitterly. "And why would we do that?" he asked coldly, advancing. They had to get it back themselves; no one else had noticed, being busy with unconscious Adepts and new incarnations. Also, if they were to raise any alarm, Alex could just Warp away with it, leaving them stranded.

"There are several reasons," Alex replied, retreating. "One, as you've already realized, we have possession of the Lapis and we're not giving it up until you agree." He was backing away in the direction of the Lighthouse entrance. "Two, with us to Warp you up to the Aerie, you'd save a lot of time. Three, would you rather have me under your supervision than running about without restraint?" He was getting closer to the door. Any moment he'd be through and they wouldn't be able to follow, not being in the company of a Mercury Adept who wanted them to follow.

They lunged for it together just as Alex made Xander's body step back, letting the Venus Adept(s) crash into the Psynergetical barrier. They bounced back and nearly fell. "Alex! Get back here!"

The other Adept(s) simply stood inside, waiting for them to agree to their demands.

"Alex…" Felix growled warningly.

Let me try to talk some sense into Xander. Maybe he'll listen. "Xander, why are you doing this?"

"We need to come with you," he responded immediately.

"Why?"

"To find–" He paused and spoke again as a different person. "Just agree, Felix. Please."

"I can't make that decision for the entire group."

"You used to. After Saturos and Menardi were gone, you did. All I want, all _we_ want is just to tag along. That's it."

"Why, Alex? Is that so hard to answer?"

Until that moment, Matthew's mental image was of Felix being a little older than him, never mind the man's life experiences. The tone Felix had put into his voice scared him. It was like when you befriend a very friendly stray cat; it could be the friendliest, most fun-filled little animal you've ever played with. And then someone yanks its tail.

Felix was the cat. Alex was yanking.

The Mercury Adept definitely sensed this; his eyes flickered to the doorway, making sure the Adept of Venus couldn't get to him. He took a deep breath, as if he believed that if Felix received an answer he deemed incorrect, the barrier wouldn't do a thing to stop the Valeman of Prox.

Alex then began, choosing his words carefully.

………

Andrew paced the deck nervously. The Mercury Djinn had recently noticed some sort of change in their Psynergy level and had been forced to adapt to it. To put it simply, they weren't adapting well:

[Whee!!!] exclaimed one of them as the group of Water Djinn zoomed up through the clouds before plummeting back into the waves. The hyperactive creatures dived to the depths of the sea and came blasting back up in a few minutes. It was becoming increasingly and annoyingly clear their energy level had skyrocketed. The cacophony of the excited Djinn was on the verged of driving him mad!

"What could've caused that?" the irritated Lemurian inquired of the small Venus Djinni hovering beside him. "And don't avoid answering again."

Flint looked as if he might've, but decided against it. "There's only one thing that can give a Djinni a boost like this: a lit Elemental Lighthouse."

Andrew peered at the elemental beast incredulously. "Then how are they getting it?"

It was Flint's turn to be incredulous of the other's stupidity. "From a lit Elemental Lighthouse."

"But those aren't _real_!"

Flint simply stared back at him.

"I know King Piers told me all of those stories and everything, but that's all they were: stories! Just like Lunpa and Babi!"

All of the Djinn stopped doing whatever they were doing, even the hyper Mercury ones. One of them by the name of Tonic peeped angrily. The puzzled Lemurian looked askance of Flint, waiting for him to translate.

But of course, that was Echo's job. "Tonic speaks of the time she knew Donpa, Lunpa's son. She also speaks of the time Picard introduced her to the noble thief himself! 'Picard doesn't lie to you; why do you assume these tales are mere fabrications?'"

The world was rapidly turning itself upside down, but despite this, Andrew could still be indignant. "I _know _milord doesn't lie to me! He –"

The rest of Andrew's words died in his throat, because that familiar surge of Psynergy was approaching, the one that had taken his king away. In a moment, Andrew and all of the Djinn on board had realized that whatever was coming was going to land on the deck, and they didn't want to be caught inside of it when it came. The elemental creatures of Mercury immediately took to the air at top speed, making the rest of the Djinn follow.

We'll keep track of them!Breath shouted back to Andrew who was currently hurtling over the side onto one of the _Seamist_'swings.

The self-proclaimed peon of the King of Lemuria peeked back onto the deck, waiting for his sovereign's return. He didn't have to wait long: in less then half a minute from the sensing of it, a great ball made from rings of Psynergy appeared. In a few seconds more, the rings began to clear, the ball displaying its contents. The loops then shrank until they were less than an inch thick and disappeared.

The group had come back. With a few new additions.

………

Alright, let's see how far we've gotten, Sheba began. Have you predicted when Picard's party will arrive for Venus Lighthouse? 

Yes, she answered smugly.

Do you know where? 

Yes. 

Do you know where Venus Lighthouse is? 

Yes. 

Where the remains of Babi Lighthouse are? 

I, uh, she began sheepishly, I haven't really gotten around to that part. But you know, don't you? 

Not for the present day. But we'll be able to find it, don't worry, Sheba assured her. Anyway, Felix probably won't be leaving until he finds me; he's rather stubborn. 

Ah, very the issue that Sheena had dreaded. Sheba had been married for who-knows-how-long and was still very much in love. Sheena, on the other hand, had never met the man whose incarnation was four years older than her. Others might say that their previous selves being in love was a sign that meant they were destined to be together, but she didn't like the idea of destiny; she could make her _own_ choices, thank you very much.

She didn't care if her past self had married a guy four years older than her; she wasn't even going to _talk_ to him if she could help it!

………

__

Magic isn't real, Gary reminded himself, _and everything has a logical conclusion if you can find it. So that's what I have to do. And figure out why in the world I came along._ He gazed around the deck of the ship. _Well, I do know why I came,_ Gary remembered patting his pocket. _Always being a cell phone._ But now he _had_ to be out of range. Would the phone not work, or would he just be slammed with bills the moment he got back home? For the life of him, he couldn't remember. And he didn't want to try and be found out before he had found _them_ out. He would figure this case out by himself; his dad would be _so_ proud.

First to figure out who was here. The man puking over the side he didn't recognize, but he had spoken with a Russian accent before, so he might be Satornil Dolgorukii. Maybe the picture had been out of date or Satornil had recently dyed his hair.

The rest of the group was clustered around the unconscious form of Picard. Someone had had enough sense to tell them not to crowd around and cut off his oxygen supply. Only two of them were close to Picard: Dr Crade and an unfamiliar blue-haired man with a slightly resemblance to Picard.

Although the man appeared to be in his forties, he was acting like a small child in his concern. He kept on asking Crade the same questions again and again, but the librarian/archeologist just patiently answered him.

Speaking of blue-haired men, where had Crest gone? Gary looked around but didn't see him. He'd investigate the "lord" later; he needed to keep tally on everyone who was here and see how they were behaving.

Jen was imforming May and Xander of something. Gary had no idea what; they were speaking in some language other than English and French. And Xander was acting strangely now too. Well, more strangely. Then there was how everyone seemed at least slightly wary of him. Before, Ian had warmed up to him as much as the dork ever warmed up to a stranger, but now was trying to avoid him.

The sound of retching reached his ears once more. This time it was a woman, recognizable as Makrina Zoshchenko. The pair of Russians didn't seem to take to the water well. It was a quality he shared with them.

He was forgetting somebody… Matthew. Where _was_ he?

There was no one at the helm. No one by the ship's figure head. Gary circled around the cabin area; no one around there either. But there _was_ a ladder.

At last, he took notice of the cannon and the lookout tower of the ship. "Echo! Iron! Breath!" And on top of the latter, he found Matthew.

The said teenager was calling out various things that related to either air, fire, metal, or water from his roost. Gary stared, both curious and repelled. Was this how someone acted when they went insane?

In half a moment, Gary decided that he must be going insane too. A colorful cloud appeared, descending out of the sky and rising out of the sea. The swarm descended onto the ship, giving Gary a glimpse of its components.

One, two, three, four types of creatures flew about them, each type with its own color. The creatures soared without wings, so fast that a few, mostly purple, were only blurs. A decent amount of the brown ones went into what might be described as an orbit around Matthew. A few of those perched on his head and shoulders while the rest chirped for their own turns.

Several of the red ones did the same to him, except they kept their distance. Instead they went into somewhat of an orbit around him or settled down on the ship's rail. He tried and failed to keep his eyes on all of them; he didn't want one of those… _things_ behind his back.

To keep a handle on his fear, he focused on his curiosity and studied the beasts. Each had a yellow belly and a tail resembling flames. Their blue eyes gazed at him from either side of their heads. And on the top of that smooth cranium were two cone-like ears(he assumed they were ears). As opposed to the brown ones, this type had a definite head and body. The legs were actual legs, not just feet poking out.

Gary gazed at the spectacle in disbelief; their was no way those creatures were real. There was simply no way. This had to be some kind of a dream.

But everything around him told him that it was no illusion. The deck rocked under his feet, the sea lapped at the boat's sides, the smell of saltwater filled his nose; all the small details he wouldn't've imagined were there. Therefore, he wasn't dreaming it.

The flash of light that had seemed to bring them here might've instead knocked them out, giving them time to hook him up to some machine. Once hooked up, his mind was brainwashed into believing whatever images were downloaded into it were real.

But even if such a thing existed, who would go through the trouble of doing it to him? Maybe to test it out, but that was still highly unlikely. However, it was still more likely than the scenario he was being told. Not much, but it was.

One of the creatures tentatively hovered closer to him and extended a pointed foot. It seemed to be asking if it could perch on him like how the others did on Matthew. The whole thing was rather surreal.

His hand shook, his fingers trembled, but he held out his hand, palm up, for the thing to land on. He wanted to see how far the illusion went; would the creature have weight or would he even feel it at all?

It landed.

He felt it.

It had weight.

{Hello, Garet.}


	16. to the present Saturday morning

Cloud-123: Updating…

TemplarofNi: Very freaky, indeed. I still haven't figured out when I'm going to wake Garet up. Maybe next chapter.

The 8BTFreek: Is Venus Lighthouse "in either the US or Western Europe"? Umm… No. I think a couple chapters back there was a comment about where Sheena lives. But to save you from using the back button to find out, I'll give you a hint: the land to the right of the Kragol Sea breaks, and the Sea joins with the ocean. What present day land feature do you get? The Gulf of Mexico. As for the topic of E3, I've been searching my Nintendo Power for even the slightest _hint_ of GS3 and finding nothing. ::sigh::

MiraiEvo: Lookie, lookie; I've got a cookie! ::calms down slightly:: I think I might bring the other Proxans around, but I'm not too sure about Kraden.

AmandaZgreat: The cat thing was based on a cat by the name of Ringo(what's the kitty version of Bingo? Ringo, with a song included). He will meow loudly for you to pet him, he will purr when you enter the room, he will rear back on his hind legs just so he can rub his head against your hand. But touch his paws or tail or try to pick him up…

Potato Man: Really? Uh-oh. ::comes back in about an hour:: The upload thing has gone nuts! Still, I've kinda got it fixed. I guess…

Shadow's Pain: It's sort of odd that you think so, because I don't feel I did Felix's death justice or Picard's reaction to it. Still, thank you.

**End of Response Section**

For the last month of school or so, everyone's rushing to get everything done, study for finals, complete random projects the teachers keep springing on them and etc. Everyone notices that. But on the last day, when everything's done, the teachers have absolutely no idea what to do. Ironic, no?

Ok, ok, I'm getting to the point. School is out = more writing time = longer chapters/shorter update waits = the fic is done before 2005! I'm not completely sure about the last part, but it seems a fair estimate.

(Little Random Comment: when you can spell Great Gabomba off the top of your head, you know you're obsessed with Golden Sun.)

**Disclaimer:** Rallalon does not own Golden Sun, any of its characters, places or items. Nor does she own auras, convulsions, songs by Weird Al, airplanes, logic, or inclinations. However, she did make up the Stuff-The-Djinn-In-The-Cannon Game (and if you're very, very lucky, she might explain the rules to you).

………

Andrew was worried as he questioned the foreign archeologist. However, with King Piers being King Piers, that was a common state for him to be in. If it weren't for him, no Lemurian would ever have use for the word "reckless".

The king was lying on the deck of the ship, as if asleep. One detail that proved him not to be was his fluctuating aura of Psynergy. One moment it was there full force, the next it was nearly completely gone. And for the incredibly large amount of Psynergy King Piers had, that was no small feat. Still, it was full force for brief periods of time, and that was far better than it being gone all the time as it had been before. Any minute now, he would wake up.

As if Andrew's though had summoned the action, King Pier's body began to convulse in a manner that suggested he was attempting to free himself of something. The was a sharp intake of breath, a pause, and three words spoken in Lemurian as he breathed back out. "Farewell, Mercury Lighthouse…"

Andrew cocked his head, an action that occurred whenever he was confused. King Piers was talking to a Lighthouse?

He gave a mental shrug; he had realized early on that he had two options in his life that could never overlap. He could have a normal life, or he could give his services to King Piers who didn't want his services anyway.

King Piers won hands down.

Said king opened his eyes and blinked at the sky. Within moments, he was attempting to sit up and Andrew had to help him or risk his sovereign hurting himself. There was actually an extremely small chance of that harm happening, but with so many things going on that seemed intent on damaging the man, Andrew was taking absolutely no chances.

Without a word, King Piers looked about the ship, his eyes lingering on the clouds of Djinn circling around the new red-haired arrival and the one that responded to both "Matthew" and "Felix". Andrew wasn't too sure on the details, but it seemed that there was a pair of people occupying the one body, one of which was an old friend of King Piers.

Unbidden, a surge of envy rushed through him. Felix was clearly considered an equal, if not slightly superior in some areas. (But only _slightly_. No one could be too much better than the king in anything.) King Piers had told him stories of Felix and other old companions as well as the tales of Lunpa and Babi; he had a great respect for all of them, excluding Babi.

Andrew was well aware that his respect for his ruler bordered on hero worship, but frankly, he didn't care. He had long ago realized that his main goal in life was to earn the respect and/or friendship of King Piers. Unfortunately, he was too scared to ask if he had succeeded yet.

"Well, Andrew, I must say this," King Piers began, "you don't realize how confining your body is until your mind is sucked out and returned to it; I nearly panicked for a moment."

And before Andrew could come up with a reply to this odd bit of information, somebody else panicked. A young male voice yelled in fear of something and the sound of a person dashing to a door before slamming it closed behind him reach his ears. The cloud of Mars Djinn sank to the deck dejectedly. The girl Jen(na) walked over them and attempted to console them, but by the sullen peeps and drooping tails, it was clearly not working.

"What do you suppose that was about?" Dr Crade asked.

"Some people find Djinn frightening," King Piers explained, holding back a grin. "I can still remember Uncle Leon's reaction to Shade and Spring. To put it simply, he was… surprised."

Uncle Leon? The king rarely mentioned his relatives, although it was a well-known fact that Lady Hydros was his closest living family member. True, she was his cousin a few hundred times removed, but she was still his cousin.

"So you've finally come to," an annoyingly calm and charismatic voice stated.

Andrew was jerked out his thoughts of genealogy to witness what was the first time he'd ever seen King Piers _glare_ at someone. Another well-known fact was that in the Senate Meetings when the situation called for it, King Piers would _glare_. Anyone could glare, but only King Piers could _glare_, and there was a major difference between the two.

In one of the many centuries when Lord Globule Aquae was bored, he had documented the behaviors of the leading politicians of the time. The "King's _Glare_" was described as a very rare event that took place only as a last resort and "for good reason. Besides how it could somehow become less potent, so long as there is one Senator that remembers the 'King's _Glare_', another such _glare_ is not necessary. The individual on the receiving end(in this case, Lord Conservato) will, despite himself, squirm in his seat and possibly break out into a sweat and experience great feelings of guilt and personal inadequacy. As the previously mentioned emotions were clearly displayed in the individual's posture(the only way a Conservato cannot conceal his stronger feelings completely), the incentive to crawl under something wet and slimy before proceeding to die there must be extremely strong. As for the on lookers, they are unexplainably convinced that the receiver of the _glare_ is somehow in error(which, in this case at least, he is). However, the onlookers also experience a strong incentive, this one instructing them to do nothing worthy of receiving a _glare_."

When Andrew had first read that paragraph and several others on the "King's _Glare_", which must have been "refined and honed over long millennia as a swordsman refines and hones his skill", he hadn't believed it, but he had memorized it. It was good to think that his sovereign had a special trump card with which he could vanquish all. Still, he had always believed Lord Aquae to have been elaborating or embellishing or simply making it up out of an ordinary glare.

At once it became clear Lord Aquae hadn't been exaggerating; he had been understating.

………

Evan was amazed at how fast the arrangements had been made. He was expecting to call his sister up and exchange emails for a couple months before actually visiting her. Now he was on the plane with his dad and would get to China in two days. The two days would be taken up mostly by waiting for the connector flights, not the flights themselves.

His dad had said it was a matter of schedules. For Evan and his sister Zheng Hua, it had to be during school vacation; Evan because he learned, and Hua because she taught. Thankfully, her subject was English, so communication wouldn't be a problem.

Evan's dad's job was with a clothing manufacturing company, and although Evan wasn't too keen on the details, Mr. Hame was nearly always coming back from or preparing for a business trip. Those trips cut huge chunks of time out of the possible visiting occasions. On the plus side, all those trips racked up Frequent Flyer Miles, so when a time was picked out, they would be able to go for almost free.

It turned out that the soonest compatible time started today and ended in a week. Normally, the Hame family wouldn't even _think_ of going on such short notice, but the next time was nearly a year away.

It wasn't as if Evan was complaining about it either. Because they moved more years than they didn't, Evan had mastered the art of packing quickly, a very handy trait. When you can pack for a weeklong trip for China in less than two hours, you know you've got something good.

Slightly bored, he took the little thing of headphones he had been given and plugged it into it place in the armrest and gazed out the circular window. Why were they circular anyway?

"_And watch the wind blow by…_"

__

Strangely fitting song for a plane… he thought, watching the clouds.

He blinked. He could've _sworn_ he'd seen… Probably just some bird.

Just some purple bird.

………

He should've done it. Gotten it over with when he had the opportunity. An opportunity that might not come again. He should've, but he hadn't.

Lord Crest knew agonizing over wouldn't help, yet…

Now the man had even _more_ allies. Maybe that Alex fellow would help him. He seemed to hate Picard. But it also appeared one of the reason's Picard disliked him was because he couldn't be trusted. That was a problem.

He took a breath and ordered his thoughts:

Step one: Stop undo-able damage. If that cannot be done, proceed to

Step two: cover-up as much as possible. At the current rate they were gaining passengers when the stated goal was to return them to their homes, that was getting less and less possible. That led to

Step three(a): If Picard's actions could not be stopped, he needed to be stopped from acting, which meant

Step three(b): Picard needed to go back to Lemuria or go six feet under. The former would be preferable because the latter would be… unpleasant and give him nightmares for years. It could also be difficult without

Step four: securing an ally.

Therefore, he should get the ally for just in case, but not openly and without letting on that he knew Picard detested the man and vice versa. That could led Picard into wondering of his loyalty and that was the last thing he wanted. Correction, the last thing he wanted was his current task. Still, better a quiet stab in the back than a noisy, messy frontal assault. Better that he wouldn't have to look Picard in the eyes when…

Oooh, he was going to vomit.

But a small thought grew and grew the more he thought about it. Maybe the two options in step three(b) weren't the latter instead of the former or the former instead of the latter. It could be quite possible the options were the latter instead of the former or the former _with_ the latter. The former with the latter _with_ him dead on top.

And maybe Melana as well.

The lord stifled a few curses and held back the urge to kick something. They had been playing him so well! He just hadn't noticed before in his anxiety of being picked and then of what being picked meant. They could very well just want Picard to be picked off, giving him any excuse. But they also made this fool proof, sending along a man whose death, if he was killed instead, or punishment would give them the most to gain.

He had simply accredited the unusually fast decision to the lack of time and Lord Murray's habit of making snap decisions. One must have mentioned to the young Murray boy about him foiling some effort that wasn't in favor of the king. Naturally, with his record of siding with the king, Adrian Murray would figure to send someone who he believed sided with the king as well. But that would mean he knew some of what was coming and therefore had been told by someone. A safe bet was Lord Globule Aquae, but that was only part of it.

Young Adrian was _much_ more involved than he let on. Far more. He couldn't be even _half _as naive as he pretended to be. Lord Aquae was apparently a very good teacher. A bit absent minded perhaps, but that gave him a slight advantage of unpredictability as well as the disadvantage of a bad memory.

He might have two good allies there. If this wasn't just mere speculation. If they hadn't set him up to be killed if he failed. If the pair didn't want him killed in the process. If all the other senators didn't expect the action "to be called for" and given the dagger just in case. If…

There were far to many "if"s. He needed to know solid facts, and if he didn't get them, he might not have a need to them ever again. A dead man with a dead daughter needed to know nothing.

Should he tell Picard or finish him off? Any siding with him that was _that_ open was a severe no-no. But finish him off? Could he do that? Did he have the physical ability or the will? One without the other would be pointless; he could be dead both ways. He had a sickening feeling he'd find out the answers soon enough. In fact, he felt he already knew them.

Could he kill Picard? Even with his own life at stake, did he had the will to commit murder in cold blood? Maybe it he had been extremely angered, but…

He leaned against the wall and sighed.

But Melana was in danger too.

__

"I won! I won this time, Daddy!"

He squeezed his eyes shut, knowing that, if it came down to it, he would. If he didn't vomit first.

………

Gary shoved the feeling to the back of his mind. He felt as if he was about to remember something, something more important than he could imagine, so important that it scared him. It scared him enough that he refused to do it.

What if that feeling was what had made everyone go mad?

He was past beginning to feel that this had been a bad idea. He knew it was. The thought of impressing his dad by figuring out a case by himself had quickly lost its novelty. That novelty was quickly replaced by dread.

How was he going to get back? Would they kill him if they found out their mind games weren't working? Would they –

"Gary?"

He looked up from his small spot of cabin floor to see Mr Lord Crest Person. So he had gone below deck too.

"Why are you down there?"

"There's…thingies out there!"

The older man looked slightly puzzled for a moment. "'Thingies?' Oh, you must mean the Djinn. They are… intimidating as a group but an individual Djinni can actually be fairly good company."

"Jeanie?" Gary asked in confusion. "As in 'I dream of'? Or the blue guy in Aladdin?"

The references were clearly lost on Crest. "I don't think so. They are, to the extent of my knowledge, beings with life-force formed of physical Psynergy or beings of living physical Psynergy. They do not seem to age. At least," he added wryly, "not anymore than Picard does."

__

Picard… There was a lot more to him than he let on. Did Crest's comment mean Picard was an old man in a young man's body? Or maybe he was one of those people that looked about twenty when they were thirty-five.

But Picard didn't seem to be that old, at least in his prior encounters with the guy. But one would also think Crest to be in charge of the operation here, but he was clearly not. In fact, it had seemed that, before they had departed from the Blue Tower that Matthew had been in charge, a situation that went very much against his character.

Of the three people who could be in on this (the blue-haired man who had stayed on the ship counted too), Picard made the most sense.

"Who's Picard?" Gary asked, deciding not to let on that he had met him before.

"Remember the unconscious man?"

"Ok, so he's Picard. But who _is_ Picard? Like, his last name or something."

Crest gave a slight smile. "He's Picard Piers, King of Lemuria."

Gary nodded. _Wait…_ "Excuse me?"

………

Despite how the Djinn hovered about him, Matthew had no fear of them as he leaned against the _Seamist_'s rail. Felix trusted these creatures; therefore, Matthew did too. He was realizing what an important part of life trust was. It was one of the things Felix highly valued, and although Matthew had only known his for a few hours tops, he was confident in Felix's values.

Although Picard was clearly not confident in Felix's decision making skills.

"Why?" Picard demanded, fixing the pair of them with an intense and furious gaze.

"Why what?" the bewildered Venus Adept asked back.

"Why did you bring Alex along?" The edge to his voice said quite clearly that he would hold with no nonsense.

Matthew was scared as heck of Picard, but Felix's presence seemed to dampen all of his fear down, including everything from the Lemurian to the Djinn. Strangely, the fear was replaced with a sudden unease whenever it occured to him that he was on a boat. On water. With no land for miles. Where he could drown.

But now Felix was experiencing something akin to embarrassment and a sort of incentive to crawl under something wet and slimy before proceeding to die there. There was also something else woven between these: it was the feeling you get when you realize the roles are reversed. That the follower has become the leader. On one hand, you're proud of them. On the other hand, you really don't want them to be better than you. You want them to be good, heck, you want them to be _great_, but you still don't want them to be better than you.

However, it seemed Picard's rage was like a flash flood, and now after the flooding of the surrounding terrain (people) and damaging it (hurting their feelings), he found some damage control was needed. He studied the expression on Matthew's face for a moment before figuring he knew what happened. "Alex used the trust angle, didn't he?"

Wow, the guy was good! "Yeah," Matthew agreed, his apprehension displaced momentarily by admiration. If Picard could ascertain the truth just by looking at a person's face… That was some talent!

Picard leaned next to him with a sigh. "Felix, I know you want to trust people, but at least use some logic."

"I did."

"Felix, remember when I asked you why you went through all the trouble getting my orb back for me?"

__

He tossed a piece of deadwood on the fire, careful that it wasn't green. The last time he had done that, it had felt as if he had tossed himself_ into the flames. He regarded the blue-haired man through the flickering fingers of flame. "Why do you ask?"_

It was Picard's first night sleeping out with them as part of the party and they were on guard duty. Most of the time, they simply used one person for the watch, but because of some weird Lemurian aging thing and how Picard's Psynergy skills had grown while they explored the Great Gabomba, Picard's sleep pattern had been thrown off. Now Picard figured he could sleep two hours or so less and take a longer shift, but Jenna seemed intent on making the two of them bond, forcing Felix to share those two hours with him. Even with those two hours awake in addition to his own reduced shift, he was still sleeping a little bit more than he had before Picard had joined up with them.

But now he had to deal with the guy talking. And expecting him to respond! "Well," Picard explained. "everyone thought I was a pirate. But not you four. Why?"

"Because 'everyone' isn't always right," Felix said bitterly. Why did he have the feeling that this would be one of those people who kept asking questions with no respect for the silence?

"How so?" the mariner asked, his interest, unfortunately, piqued.

"You're not a pirate," Felix pointed out..

"But there's more to it, isn't there?" Receiving no answer, he continued his investigation. "What happened?"

Felix tossed in another piece of firewood, perhaps a bit harder than he should've. Sparks and embers flew up, burning brightly before fading. "What makes you think something happened?"

"People usually don't draw into themselves for no reason; what's yours?"

"You said 'usually'." He poked the fire with another stick, releasing more embers into the night sky. Greedy red tongues licked at the stick, their saliva setting the wood aflame. Felix tossed it into the ravenous blaze.

He stared at the small piece of wood consumed by the large fire. Fire ceased to exist without wood, but wood lived better without flame. But not this wood. Not that fire.

He felt tears threatening, threatening so hard he couldn't hold them back. He bowed his head, letting his hair tumble to hide his eyes, obscure his face. "You're going to freeze your eyes shut, leaking out of them that way,"_ he remembered Saturos say. _"And where's the point in going blind?" _But of course Proxans didn't have tears. They weren't much in the way of facial expressions, either._

"And you're avoiding the question. Look," Picard said, unaware of Felix's quiet tears, "if I can trust you to carry my Orb, you can trust me with a simple answer. Why would you reach out to a person and then proceed to ignore them?"

Good question. Felix answered slowly, forcing back this sorrow; there was no point to being depressed. "I… I guess I like to think that…" He looked around for more wood and stopped talking, hoping Picard would take the hint or interrupt impatiently, deciding the wait for the answer wasn't worth while.

He didn't.

His hand landed on a few more sticks, nothing more than tinder. He began to strip them of their bark, tossing each strip in one by one. "If a person can be falsely accused of… piracy or whatever… then can't another be accused of something else, just as falsely?"

"'Innocent until proven guilty'," Picard agreed.

Felix stared at him for a moment, wondering if the other knew he had gotten it backwards. Although, in Lemuria it could be different. Or maybe Picard was simply stating an ideal.

He knew Picard wanted a response, but he didn't give one to him, and threw in another piece of wood instead. Sweat broke out along his brow as he realized it had been partly alive. The green wood would burn slowly, but it would keep him hot, if a trifle unpleasantly.

Picard opened his mouth again to speak and dozen questions flashed through Felix's mind. Which would be have to answer? None seemed appealing.

But surprisingly, it wasn't any of the awkward inquiries he had imagined. Instead: "So you trust the unlikely… because people don't trust you when they should?" the Lemurian asked, piecing it together. "And so you don't want to do to others what others do to you?"

"Yes," Felix admitted as Matthew tried to cope with remembering one of Felix's memories. "But it's better for someone to be keeping an eye on him."

"Mia could've done that. We could've left them all there, involving no one else, and Mia could've finally settled with him the way she'd always wanted to. Instead, he's tagging along and we have to 'keep an eye on him' for the entire remainder of this trip. This trip that we're _barely a quarter of the way through!_"

"We haven't even been a day yet," Felix commented. "What's four days to you?"

Picard let out a laugh, his anger evaporating like water on a hot sidewalk. "There have been some centuries that have felt shorter than today."

Felix raised an eyebrow. "Really?"

Picard nodded. "It's odd," he said. "You've probably raised that eyebrow a thousand times, and now that you're dead, I finally see it."

"It's because my hair's dead too," Felix clarified.

They both let out a stressed chuckle.

"So tomorrow it's Venus Lighthouse?" Felix inquired.

Picard nodded. "We should probably rest here tonight, each of us with a Jupiter Djinn."

"Sounds good… But about bringing people along…"

Picard let out a laugh. "_This_ is what you're stressed out about? I'm not going to change my mind about that, and there'd be no stopping you, not to mention _her_. Of _course_ Sheba's coming along. So long as her incarnation doesn't mind, that is."

"She won't mind," Felix assured him, although it seemed to Matthew that the Venus Adept was trying to reassure himself more than Picard.

Matthew wasn't very comfortable with the emotions he was sensing from Felix. It was a half-desperate longing fueled by sorrow and love. And it gave Matthew the feeling that he was snooping around in something private, something that he was too young for. Felix was a man in love; Matthew had hardly gotten to the "teen in like" stage of his life. If tomorrow was when they'd find the woman or not, making Felix's feelings intensify either way, then Matthew wanted it to be today for as long as possible. What if Felix wanted to kiss her or something? The Proxans had it ok; fine, Makrina already had a boyfriend back home, but there had been a sort of attraction between them for as long as Matthew had known them. Felix was in love with someone whose incarnation Matthew had never met! There was a big difference!

No one else was too keen on going to sleep right away either, and the Proxans thoroughly resisted the idea of sharing their mind with a Djinn. What ended up resulting was an argument followed by the closest thing to a party that had been on the _Seamist_ since all the Adepts had been alive in their own bodies. The night passed by in jerks, leaping through a game of Stuff-The-Djinn-In-The-Cannon (it resulted in Cannon being "accidentally" blasted out of the device that bore his name[several of the Mercury Djinn were whistling loudly after that]) and then dragging out horrendously when it fully occurred to everyone that the one toliet was a pot. Gary who was very… ill at ease with his present company laughed at the various plays Oliver and Picard acted out as the main characters while Andrew took care of the bit parts. Afterwards, May and Jen had an idea about Echo's echoing capabilities, and the Djinni discovered himself acting as a boombox. Oliver was… confused to say the least at what the others called "music"; Ian giving the Echo the memory of half a dozen songs by Weird Al for him to repeat probably didn't help, but at least one of the songs was "just six words long". Halfway through "Dare to be Stupid", the Proxans/Russians went off by themselves to have a private conversation that was immediately picked up on by the Djinn. It didn't really help the Fire Adepts' opinions of them very much.

Thankfully, they did have food; the _Seamist_ was stocked with enough supplies for a month voyage with eight passengers and seventy-two Djinn, proving Andrew had been prepared for nearly anything. Dinner was rather strange with Picard realizing he'd forgotten how to cook, Makrina's skills being tainted by Menardi's, and Gary's complete distrust of the food that Andrew ended up preparing. At this, Saturos started to tell the story of "The-Thing-We're-Assuming-Is- Semi-edible -And-So-Are-Tentatively-Calling-It-Food". Moral of the story: leave the cooking to Felix.

Sleeping arrangements were arranged slightly awkwardly with two or three to a room and one Djinni per person(the Proxans and Oliver were excused from the Djinn part as having a Jupiter Djinni would be pointless if the person never dropped off to sleep). Makrina/Menardi, Jen/na, and May/Mia were together, being the only (human) females on the ship. That meant they also got the biggest room. Felix/Matthew and Saturos/Satornil put themselves in charge of watching Alex/Xander while Ian/Isaac consented to share a room with Gary(neither got much sleep). Andrew, still suffering from the trauma of having his king disappear and returning wounded, insisted on keeping watch over Picard the entire night(neither of them got much sleep either). As for Crest and Crade, they stayed in the main cabin swapping stories about Alchemy and technology until they both dropped off to La La Land.

****

…In the morning…

Matthew! Get up! A bright light flashed in his eyes.

"Ah!" Had he been laying in his bed at home, Matthew would've fallen out of it with a yell. As it was, he just yelled. "I'm not –" A yawn cut him off. "I'm not a morning person…" he concluded. He was standing by a window of a room where it seemed a few people had slept the night before. He head was positioned so he was looking out of it, right into the sun, which was a fair bit above the horizon. The wooden, carpet-covered floor rocked slowly up and down. Where was he again?

You _aren't_ a morning person, someone familiar agreed. And you're very forgetful too. 

"Wha…" Another word was swallowed by a yawn.

Quite abruptly, memories of the prior day flooded to the surface of his mind.

"Oh."

"Come on, we've already had breakfast and you're dressed; let's go."

"That's my mouth; quit using it," he grumbled.

"It's nice to share," Felix replied. A memory of his daughter surfaced where he had said the exact same thing. _"Otherwise people get their feelings hurt,"_ he had continued, all those years ago.

They made their way up to the deck in silence until Matthew just had to ask. You really miss them, don't you? 

Math's head nodded without permission. It's weird knowing even your great-grandchildren are dead. But, then again, it's weird _being_ dead, period. I don't really remember anything in between my last climb up Venus Lighthouse with Picard and waking up in your body. And I don't know what will happen to me after this. It would be cruel to you if I stayed in your body, and I have no idea if I can even leave or what will happen to me after I do. Felix's uncertainty came through to Matthew although the swordsman did his best to quell it.

Matthew tried to steer the conversation away from thoughts of the beyond. Venus Lighthouse? Isn't that where we're going? 

Felix nearly made Matthew nod again by accident. And it's were Saturos, Menardi and I died, he said with a touch of apology; he knew it would be bizarre to have someone control him that way.

But Matthew wasn't paying attention to the unconscious apology. You _what_? 

They died in a fight, and when I knew I was going to die soon, I figured I wanted to die there. Just do yourself a favor and don't fall off of it. 

Wouldn't dream of it, Matthew replied truthfully as they opened the door to the deck.

"Took you long enough!" Jen called.

Ian gaze a smile from Isaac's amusement and allowed him to say, "Isn't it ironic that of all of us, it's _Felix_ who has an incarnation that sleeps in."

Matthew grinned. Friendly teasing wasn't something he minded at all, so long that it remained only teasing; otherwise, he never could've become friends with Satornil.

"Everyone get in close or grab someone," Picard called, standing next to Andrew.

Andrew's the one that dreamed of the location, Felix explained as Matthew edged in close, but didn't bother to hold on to anyone. Picard could've just asked Ether to show it to him, but he didn't have the heart to leave the guy behind. 

"Ready?" Picard asked.

Everyone murmured their agreement and Andrew started the Teleportation.

Rings started at the bottom of his feet and worked their way up, expanding as they went before they shrank and disappeared half a foot above Andrew's head. The loops of Psynergy expanded, encompassing the entire group in their azure glow. Faster and faster they rose, until it seemed they were inside a balloon of the psychic energy.

Any observer would see a sapphire sphere swallow up the dozen. When the rings slowed and cleared, they would know that the group had gone elsewhere. But where elsewhere would be completely unknown.


	17. to the present day Hole of the Moron

The 8BTFreek: Since you made him up, I feel obligated to tell you that Adrian's status has been upgraded from Very Minor Character to Semi-Important Character. As for the Weird Al stuff, read on and find out.

AmandaZgreat: "Anticipation makes you long for something more, therefore increasing your enjoyment when it finally arrives"; not very helpful, but kind of true.

You don't giggle either? That's a relief; I thought it was just me. Laugh? Yes. Chortle? Yes. Giggle? No. ::shrugs::

I _knew_ I should've named Andrew Anthony!

There's a lot more to Oliver than just his task to kill Picard; those two have history. And that history's going to be brought up soon. How? Through the magic of flashback of course.

Alexditto: You think things have _already_ taken a surprising turn? Just you wait and see!

MiraiEvo: ::sugar-high:: Happy belated birthday and thanks for the cupcake! Mmm, cupcake… I've been planning on how Math and Sheena will interact for quite some time now; this is going to be fun. Ok, so what if "Jenna, Isaac, and the Djinn didn't"? What makes you think that they _won't_?

TemplarofNi: Ah, the DS… And coming out this year too! Anywho, when you think about it, I _can't_ kill Saturos and Menardi: they're already dead!

Potato Man: You know what's really creepy? I _was_ already using periods to separate my sections! And _no_, I'm not doing to do that; there's a couple of people who have me on Author Alert, so if I were to update with the same chapter twice, that would be kinda cruel. The former and latter thing wasn't meant to be confusing though… Wait a second, I just responded to your review backwards! Excuse me, I'm going to get some sleep now.

WildfireDreams: Updating…

****

End of Response Section

Hello again! I'm starting to wonder why I keep writing little messages here as I don't really have anything to say. For crying out loud, most of you have probably skipped over this already! Anyway…

****

Warning: Do not become confused during the first scene of this chapter. If you fail to recognize the character, hit the back button several times or use the indigo bar-scroll-thingy until you reach chapter 10 and scroll down to Picard's Senate Meeting.

Now that that's taken care of, on with Chapter 17. I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: Rallalon does not own Golden Sun, any of its characters, items or locations. Nor does she own parchment, Lord Adrian Murray(because he belongs to The 8BTFreek), Lord Globule Aquae(because he belongs to Yoshimi Takahashi), the sound effects of someone falling down a hill, an idiot(except for when she is one; even then, she still owns herself), four years, stubborn people who cannot throw(once again excluding herself), or cave-ins. However, she did make up the lighting-sticks.

………

He awoke with a start and sprung out of bed faster than he had ever done before. Bare feet met cold stone, forcing him to leap onto the rug with a small yelp. Hurriedly, he picked his way to his desk, his eyes trying unsuccessfully to pierce the surrounding blackness. In a shadowy corner his dark room, he groped about for parchment and a writing tool in a drawer of his desk. Only once he had found them did he think of lighting a lamp.

Once again he groped about, holding the memory of his dream close, lest he lose it. Dreams never lasted long after one woke and he had the unpleasant feeling he'd want to remember every last detail of this one.

His hand landed on the lamp and he quested for the lighting-sticks that should be near it. Where…? Aha!

He took one of the short segments of wood and willed a trace amount of his Psynergy into it before quickly withdrawing it. The lighting-stick burst aflame at one end, illuminating the young appearing face of Lord Adrian Murray.

He hastily lit the lamp, blew out the stick, and discarded it. He look the piece of charcoal, began to sketch his dream and was forced to split its over-lapping elements into two parts as best he could.

Somehow he knew beyond doubt that this wasn't a nightmare brought on by the stress of his new appointment as Senator, despite the conspiracy he had landed himself him. _Plot_, he reminded himself as the flickering light cast his distorted shadow on the opposite wall, changing his thin frame into that of a stronger, brutish man. _There needs to be at least three people to conspire_, he clarified to himself. This wasn't brought on by the possible death of Lemuria's king either, although that was, in part, what he had dreamt of. No, not at all. _This_ was what it meant to be a Water Seer.

He drew everything as well as he could before he scribbled the rest down. He would show it to Lord Globule Aquae. Aquae would know what to do. Despite his absentminded tendencies and him being the Keeper of Records by _default_, Aquae knew things, he was smart, and he would know what to do.

At least, Adrian thought so.

The impatience of youth had not yet left him, so the Lead Ambassador(also by default) rapidly dressed by the wavering light, and after a small mishap with his left boot, practically dashed outside and to Aquae's library.

"Aquae! Aquae, are you here?" he called, holding up his lamp, striding along the row between the huge shelves that reached up two stories before becoming part of the ceiling. Aquae was nearly always here, translating this, Restoring that, reading something, filing something else. He might've been the Record Keeper by default, but he did take his job seriously, something Adrian would never have an opportunity to do.

Head Ambassador? Ha! How could he be the head one when he was the only one? When there was nowhere he could be ambassador to?

"Aquae!"

"Are you calling me or my wife?" Globule Aquae asked from behind him.

"Don't _do_ that!" Adrian exclaimed, whirling around to face the older Lemurian.

"Well," Aquae explained jokingly, "when you only use my last name, I can't really tell, now can I?"

Adrian shook his head ruefully, but allowed a smile to creep through. Aquae was a very… unique person. There were two great loves in the man's life: his wife and his library. It was a very good thing Lady Aquae wasn't a jealous woman; Adrian had the feeling she was number two.

"So, Adrian," Aquae began, leaning against the wooden side of a case, "what brings you here this time of… morning?"

"I…" Now that he got around to telling someone, he wasn't so sure it had been a vision and not just a nightmare. His ears reddened slightly as he realized that he could be creating an ocean out of a puddle. "I had… a dream."

Aquae's eyebrow rose, signifying that the man's curiosity had been activated. "I'm assuming you, being a Water Seer, believe it to be a vision." At Adrian's nod, Aquae continued, "And the parchment you're carrying would be the visual part of it, correct?"

"Mostly," Adrian admitted. "But you how my artistic skills are."

"Hmm…" Aquae wordlessly took the papers and studied them for a moment before rolling them up again and striding purposefully towards the heavy table in the back, behind the many shelves. Adrian followed and lit an addition lamp, one already in Aquae's working space.

Aquae spread out the rolls of parchment, anchoring each with a small but dense rock on each corner. "So your dream was of two scenarios, juxtaposed? And the top sheet shows the differing point?"

"No and yes. I drew them side by side, but in my dream they were overlapping. I separated them as best I could."

"And what makes them differ?"

"Well," Adrian explained, pulling out the last sheet of paper, "in both Alchemy was unleashed across the world, creating Adepts not just in Lemuria, but everywhere. In both, a golden sphere of light, like a sun, really, descended on a hilltop in some place called…" He bit his tongue, trying to remember. "Some place called 'Valley, Idaho'. And there was a person there who had no knowledge of Psynergy or Alchemy, but in one…" Adrian shuddered with the memory. "They… absorbed the ball, not really understanding what it was." He tried to surpress another shudder. No one should have power like that. It was stronger than even King Piers but with a completely different feel. King Piers' Psynergy felt like a calm salty sea, unchanging in appearance, but full of waves and unexpected currents, all full of the wisdom and compassion of a man who had seen far more of the world than he had ever wanted to; the "sun" by itself was magnificent, but when it went inside a person… And what that person would do with that power…

Aquae pondered this a moment, absentmindedly stroking his pet caline. Apparently, the caline had two different ancestors in its past, making it a cross-breed between… Now what were they called…? Oh, yes, cat and dog.

"What happened in the other one?" Aquae finally asked. "The ball was there as well?"

Adrian nodded. "But it disintegrated into… motes. The motes were so small you couldn't see them with the naked eye. Then the motes zoomed off every-which-way and went into people, giving them small amounts of Psynergy. It's definitely a better alternative."

"And where, no, _when_ does it begin to differ?"

Adrian swallowed and pulled out the sheet had been originally the top sheet. "Here."

The sheet, divided in two by a dark charcoal line, showed a group of people ontop of some tower with dragon statues on both sides. On the left drawing, however, it showed one of the group, a man, facing a floating ball that was absent on the other. Behind him was another man. Both were Lemurian.

He took a breath and continued. "When Oliver kills King Piers."

………

"Ahh!!!"

__

Crack, snap-snap, crack, snap! Crackcracksnap-snap, snapcrack!

Thud!!!

"Matthew! Felix! You two all right?"

Winded and scratched, Matthew struggled to take a few breaths before replying, "Jen, we just fell down a thorn covered hill; how do you _think_ we feel?" What happened, Felix? 

Andrew used Teleport, Felix said while casting Cure over the many lightly bleeding cuts, and we happened to pop up where there wasn't ground. Actually, he corrected himself, there was ground and we appeared several feet above it. Picard was right in telling us to hold on. 

Um, yeah. Holding on was something Matthew hadn't done.

"Do you think you can get back up?" Picard yelled down.

"Dunno! It's pretty steep!"

The remainder of the group was atop of the hill in a little clearing. The side Matthew had tumbled down was about twenty feet high and roughly a 60-degree climb. And then there were the brambles. If he was going to climb up, he'd have to hold on to something and the briars, the only available thing, were out of the question.

"I'm sorry!" Andrew hollered, probably embarrassed that his first Teleporting effort had ended up the way it had.

"We're fine!" Matthew hollered back. "Alex, do you think you can Warp us back up?"

Xander's eyes flickered over the dense foliage and the over-hanging trees. "If you don't mind me landing in a tree."

"What's the problem?" Gary asked. "Couldn't you just climb down?"

"It's not that simple," Picard explained. "Part of the reason we need a visual to be able to Teleport is so we can arrive safely. Alex isn't worried about having to climb down; he worried about the wood overlapping his flesh."

Gary gave a slight shudder. Matthew could nearly make out him saying something like: "Weirder and weirder."

"Why don't we just starting going to the Lighthouse? The slope might get less steep further on," suggested Isaac.

"There _is_ a second path," Andrew added.

"Felix?" Picard called, asking for his approval.

"I don't see anything wrong with that. Neither does Matthew. Just make sure we don't loss contact with each other."

In short order, Echo, who was on Standby for Felix, was riding on Ian's head, and Flint, on Standby to Isaac, was perched on Matthew's right shoulder. Because both could speak in human languages, it was like having Djinn walkie-talkies. Also, Ether, who had shared the dream with Andrew, would be guiding Felix/Matthew. It seemed they had dreamt of two paths, the one for the group and the one that was apparently for Felix/ Matthew.

"You could've warned us this would happen," Matthew muttered to the purple creature riding atop his left shoulder. The Djinni chortled and Flint translated that Ether hadn't known this would happen, just that there were two paths.

Once that was done, Andrew pointed out the direction for the main group while Felix followed the Jupiter Djinni. Matthew just rode along in the back of his mind, concentrating on the approaching problem.

He didn't want to find Sheba; Felix wanted to very much. Matthew had no interest in a girl four years younger than him; Felix… well, his interest was four years younger, but not really a girl anymore. Maybe the age difference didn't matter back whenever it was when he was alive, but personally, Matthew didn't care for the idea of a romantic relationship with an eighth-grader. Because the relationship between their ages was so far the same it had been in Felix's scenario, it was fairly safe to assume Sheba's incarnation was about thirteen or so. Matthew was seventeen.

And there was a _big_ difference in those four years.

From up ahead, behind a tree, Ether gave an excited peep. Flint's eyebrows/ears perked up.

"What is it?" Math whispered to the elemental creature.

"Figure it out for yourself," Flint responded quietly.

He could do that. Just where were they in the world? What was the local wildlife? Was it a bear? Some poisonous snake that would bite him and render him dead in moments? Or one that would just bite him to hold him while it wrapped its coils around his chest and started squeezing? Or wolf pack that would run him down until he could run no more and then go for his throat?

Would you stop that? Felix demanded. That was a happy peep Ether gave, not a danger warning. 

If you say so… Matthew said dubiously.

He cautiously made his way around the tree and surrounding shrubbery, trying not to make a sound. And there, sitting on a small boulder, a small bag over her shoulder, was Miss Violet Eyes.

Satornil had teased him before this weird adventure had started about the tidbits of bad poetry he had written about a girl he kept dreaming about, a blond beauty with violet eyes. Or green. Or a bit of both. But frankly, it didn't really matter what Miss Violet Eyes looked like. It was just that in those dreams that felt like memories, he knew her and she knew him. And what was really weird was that he _liked_ her, a figment of his imagination. She wasn't real, but he liked her anyway.

But there she was, petting Ether, smiling as if she would burst from happiness. _Real_. Not imaginary.

She looked up and an older spirit gazed out through her eyes. She grinned and said with a laugh, "You look… different with so little hair, Felix."

She was Sheba's reincarnation.

Flude.

………

Andrew trailed after King Piers slowly, deeply ashamed. Why couldn't he seem to do anything right? The _one_ person whose opinion meant the world to him only saw him when he was messing something up. It got really annoying.

But he would keep trying.

First, he needed to apologize for the mishap. He opened his mouth and promptly closed it again. What to say?

Echo for one never though about what he was going to say. In fact, he was still singing all the songs he had learned from Ian, complete with background music. " –stuck a funnel in my mouth and stuck me to the wall and force-fed me nothing but sourcrout until I was 26 and a half years old. That's when I swore that someday, someday I would get out of the basement and travel to a magical, faraway place where the sun is always shining and the air smells like warm root beer and the towels are oh so _fluffy!_" The Djinni paused and _thankfully_ stopped "singing". "Hey! Felix and Matthew found Sheba! They found Sheba! Breath, Breath! They found Sheba!"

The Jupiter Djinni peeped something to the Venus Elemental, received a chirping response, and flew off in the direction Felix and Matthew had taken.

Because of Andrew. His mood sunk another notch. He just so needed to do _something_ right!

"What is it?"

Andrew hurriedly smiled and responded to his king in(what he hoped was) a cheerful manner. "Nothing of import, milord." Quickly, he turned away, lest King Piers see through his incompetent facade. It fooled nearly everyone else, but King Piers wasn't just anyone.

"Picard."

Andrew turned back around. "What, milord?"

King Piers had turned as well, so he was walking backwards, trusting the Djinn or one of his companions to tell him if he was about to walk into a tree or something of the like. "That's my name. Use it."

Andrew didn't know how to respond. So he didn't.

The older man looked about, his gaze passing over the foliage and the sky, the people and Djinn. A small simile played about his lips. "We're having an adventure, Andrew. Not one grand or bold. Not one with monsters to fight. One that will last from anywhere from the four days it will take to light the Beacons to years as we sort out the reincarnation thing."

Still Andrew gave no response. If he said anything, he'd have to address his king, and in doing so, he would either disobey King Piers or he would do something equally against his nature. A child did not call his father by the father's first name; Andrew did not call King Piers "Picard".

"It's odd looking back…" King Piers reminisced. "The beginning of it all was so long ago, yet so much clearer than most of the rest… Sometimes I still have trouble seeing myself as a king. But sometimes… I can't see myself as anything else."

Andrew certainly didn't know what to make of that.

"You tend to remember people as you first met them, including yourself. Felix will always remain a restless spirit to me and Oliver a small boy tossing coins, unsuccessfully, into the fountain. You should have seen the pile of coins in there by the time he was done." He laughed softly, still slowly walking backwards. "In case you've ever wondered where the fountain gets its money from, that's where: stubborn people who can't throw."

"Not true!" Lord Crest called over his shoulder, interrupting him conversation with Dr Crade. The pair was up ahead of Andrew/behind King Piers. "And I _can_ throw!"

"Oh yes, Oliver, now I remember: you _did_ learn how to throw. It only took you two years!" King Piers chided.

Andrew looked at him, confused. King Piers might have been a rather cheerful person on the whole –he _had_ to be or otherwise the stress of his occupation would get to him too badly –but he was never one for jests. And if it had only taken Lord Crest two years to learn to throw, then how could King Piers make fun? Two years wasn't very long at all.

King Piers laughed at his confused look, but not insultingly. It was more of laugh that made others want to laugh as well. It had been a very long time since Andrew had seen his liege so happy. "I feel young again, Andrew, and that I have not felt in quite some time. Oh, I should have brought you with us to Mercury Lighthouse!" His laughter faded. "I didn't mean for you to be left behind; I was just trying to make it so Oliver didn't miss us."

"And why is that, Picard?" the said lord asked.

"Because the lighting needs to be done _now_, even if the true need for it will only truly begin to emerge in several thousand years."

"Why not wait?" Lord Crest inquired. "And how is that the reason why you left me behind?"

Andrew gaped at him. Speaking thusly to the _king_!?

But it seemed King Piers truly was feeling younger and non-kingly. Instead of becoming slightly stern(King Piers didn't get angry; he became stern), he simply smiled, slightly amused by the other man's words. "You just showed me I was right, Oliver. I knew you'd protest it and therefore I tried to keep it from you until there was no choice but to continue. Now there's no choice, so I feel free to tell you."

Was it Andrew's imagination or did Lord Crest appear slightly abashed? No, it was something else… but what? Before Andrew could figure it out, Echo took it upon himself to once again burst into song, severely throwing off Andrew's concentration. "Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday to you! Well, it's time to celebrate your birthday. It happens every year. We eat a lot of broccoli and drink a lot of beer. You should be good and happy that there's something you can eat; a million people everyday are starving in the street!"

They call this _music_? Andrew thought, partly disturbed and partly amused.

"As for not waiting," King Piers continued over the Venus elemental, "it needs to be done and it can be done now. To wait would be to throw away what could be our last chance. Now I won't want to do that, would I?"

If King Piers said it was a good thing that needed doing, then by all means it would be done, Andrew concluded. However, he noticed that Lord Crest didn't appear all too sure.

"Though in hindsight, it seems I may have acted rashly when I decided to leave you behind."

A number of the Djinn chortled and Andrew had to try not to grin. A rash Lemurian! That had to be an oxy-moron, even if it could be regularly applied to King Piers.

"So you'll be taking us along from now on?" Lord Crest inquired.

The ruler of Lemuria nodded and Andrew nearly exploded with happiness. He wouldn't be left behind like a useless imbecile!

Lord Crest, however, just looked relieved.

………

"Hurry up already!" Of all the people that could've happened upon her, it just _had _to be him. Why, why, why?

"Where are we going?" the teenager demanded from behind her.

"Where else? Babi Lighthouse."

Matthew Gardner glowered at her, apparently having Felix agree that it made sense. Thankfully, the old Adept wouldn't be voicing any of his opinions aloud.

After a great deal of debate while walking, they had set up a deal. If the dead pair wouldn't talk or take control of the bodies or whatever and focus on keeping their feelings to themselves, then Sheena and Matthew would let them have mental contact, so long as they kept whatever it was that disembodied, dead spouses did. They would pretty much be taking turns every fifteen minutes from mental contact to non-contact.

Sheena wouldn't've minded to have Sheba maintain mental contact with Felix all the time if it hadn't included one little thing: physical contact. Sure, she and Matthew would just be holding hands, but he was all sweaty and ugh. The guy was rude, a complete stranger, four years older than her, and far better looking than she would've liked. He should've at least had a zit or something she could silently mock!

He noticed her staring at him and raised an eyebrow questioningly. Instead of looking away, or doing something else that would imply that she was embarrassed, she glared. He glared back.

The wind blowing gently through the trees seemed amazingly loud, as did the noise they made going through the underbrush.

"You two are getting along swimmingly," Flint piped up. Despite their glares, the Djinni continued, "Breath's on her way."

Sheena smiled. At last, _something_ good was happening!

Then she noticed Matthew was staring at her, not glaring anymore, as if just realizing something. He opened his mouth as if to say something, seemed to think a moment about what that was, and finally decided on "Don't do that."

"Don't do _what_?" she demanded, her frown returning.

He seemed pleased with himself for some random reason. "Never mind," he replied, irritating her further. She couldn't stand it when someone had her feel as if she was being left out of something important. It was as if he was doing it on purpose!

Sheena realized something and she could've hit herself for being that stupid. Of _course_ that was what he was doing! How could she think that he was anymore interested in her than she was in him! To her, the age difference made the other seem slightly intimidating and bumbling at the same time. To him, she must seem like a little girl!

Oh, now this was wonderful! She was starting to sympathize with him!

She sighed. This was going to be a long walk. A _very_ long walk.

And so it was. Even when Breath finally arrived, things weren't made better. Sure, when she had greeted Breath, she was practically glowing. One Djinni had been awesome, but _two_? She couldn't stop smiling as she held the soft, content Djinni in her arms. She was so cute!

Then she had noticed Matthew pointedly not looking at her. Fine, he had been doing that before, but now he was resumed with a renewed vigor. But why?

He felt her gaze and met it, his cheeks gathering a slightly pink tinge before looking away again. "Would you stop _doing_ that?!" he muttered under his breath.

Doing what? She still didn't know, but had he just…? No way. What, did he think she was _smiling_ at _him_?

Oh.

Flude.

Yes, it was a _very_ long walk. Extremely. An _extremely_ lengthy trek. It was at least an hour before they reached the remains of Babi lighthouse, holding hands for the sake of their ancient counter-parts every fifteen minutes. Sheena could tell Sheba thought it wonderful how the Lighthouses had lasted this long, while Babi's little tower had pretty much deteriorated into ruble. All that was left was the ancient foundation Babi had ordered his lighthouse(it didn't deserve the capital L) built upon. It was quite well and good that nothing of the nasty man remained.

"Why'd you stop?" Matthew asked, clueless.

"We're _here_," she replied.

Matthew looked around at their surroundings. "All I see is pla–" He paused, listening to something Felix was saying. Wordlessly, he bent down and placed his hands on the forest floor. Loops of Psynergy, guided by Felix no doubt, surrounded him and Sheena could practically see his awareness stretching out, down the plants roots. "There's rock…" he mumbled with his eyes closed, "that has been worked. A long, long time ago… A passageway that's… well, it's almost open…" His expression made him look as if he were far away.

"A cave-in?" she asked, startled. Who knew a Venus Adept could scout out the layout of underground tunnels from just touching the dirt!

"Dunno… I think it has to be opened…"

"At Venus Lighthouse," Sheena finished. "Flint?"

"I'm already relaying the message," the Djinni said.

"Then you can add that we're going to go as far as we can, then wait for them to open up the door. Once they do that, we'll find the statue to push into place and they can join us from their end."

Flint looked at her doubtfully. How a Djinni could have such expression was beyond her. "Are you sure? There _could_ be cave-ins while we're down there."

"You, Matthew and Felix can handle it." She turned her gaze to Matthew and demanded, "_Can't you?_" She was pleased to see Matthew was looking nervous. "Or haven't you found the opening."

"I've found it," he began cautiously, "but it'll be a challenge getting in. And then once we're away from the entrance, we wouldn't be able to see where we're going."

"You get the way open; I'll get the light." She hadn't exactly predicted that she'd be in need of a light, but she knew that she should be prepared. Anyway, she had been waiting for an opportunity to use a little skill she had figured out all on her own. Her grip on her bag tightened.

Matthew gave a non-committal sound, strode over to a tree, and stared at it with the beginnings of Psynergy rings floating up from his feet. What did he think he was doing? He was only looking at a tree bending and shaking in the wind.

Sheena abruptly realized there was no wind; the tree was doing that by itself. No, not by itself… by the will of Matthew!

The tree's leaves withered and fell, new branches drooped. What was the point of killing the tree? If it blocked the entrance, it'd still be blocking it!

Something shook in the ground, and Sheena watched, stunned, as the roots that peeked through the dirt visibly thickened. He was focusing the tree's life force to the roots!

The roots that showed at the base of the tree slowly moved aside and dirt tumbled in. Matthew's eyes rolled up in his head as soil fell into the widening hole. His Psynergy aura wavered and the rings were slower in coming yet faster in disappearing. Finally, as the echoes of a rock striking a dust covered floor was heard, Matthew's Psynergy gave out completely and the inexperienced Adept would've fallen in the hole he was just created had Sheena not pulled him back.

She might not have like him, but she didn't want him getting himself _killed!_

Despite her support, he collapsed to the ground, pale, sweating, and more than likely unconscious. Sheena knew what happened when an Adept past his or her limits; she had been so weak she couldn't even get out of bed to go to the bathroom without serious effort. So what if Matthew had succeeded in opening up the route! How would he use it in his condition? The idiot!

After a tense and slightly(but only slightly, mind you) worried minute, said moron made a noise that was rather similar to "Ughennff…" and tried to sit up. "Oww…" he wheezed, weakly putting a hand to his head. "You could've _told _me that would happen…" he grumbled. To Felix, most likely.

Sheena wasn't sure if she should be relieved or P.O.ed. Probably a bit of both.

But before she could decide to either ask if he was all right or insult him for his ignorance, if not stupidity, he looked up at her and asked for himself, "How's that light coming?"

Now the choice was if she should laugh or slap him. She was strongly leaning toward the latter, but knew Sheba wouldn't appreciate it. Felix might get mad, too. If he didn't burst out laughing, that was; she knew from Sheba that he had an… _odd_ sense of humor when he chose to show it.

"I'll show you when we get down there," she stiffly said. _If you _can_ get down there_, her eyes added.

Groggily, Matthew hoisted himself to his feet, probably with help from Felix, and attempted to walk to the hole. What resulted was more like a stubborn stagger, but, to his credit, he did get there. Using the roots like a ladder, he slowly descended until, with a roughish grin just _daring_ her to follow, he disappeared.

Sheena made certain her bag wouldn't fall off and followed suit. Looking down from the top of the hole, the passageway below looked dim and menacing. Unsuccessfully surpressing a shudder, she slowly climbed down the roots that were, to her surprise, really shaped like a ladder. It galled her to admit it, but although Matthew had used up most of his energy, he had done a good job of it.

Down and down, far to slowly for her liking, she descended, sinking farther and farther away from sunlight. The damp smell of earth filled her nose. Finally, after what felt longer than it could've possibly been, her feet touched solid ground.

"Took you long enough."

Sheena tried to sense that Matthew was just as scared as she was of being underground in a chamber that could easily collapse at any moment. She failed. He was actually feeling so comfortable it surprised even him.

Personally, Sheena already longed for a breeze. And the air would just get stiller and staler the farther they went.

"You ok?" She could dimly make out his expression of concern.

"Fine," she snapped, her voice showing exposing far too much of her emotion.

"I'm not trying to be… you know. But I've got a cousin who used to be scared of the dark and one time when we were playing hide-and-go-seek, we got stuck inside a closet. She started shaking like that, too."

"I'm not –" But she found she _was_ shaking. Thoroughly disgusted with herself, she stuck her bag under the faint beam of light shining through the hole, weaving through the roots. She rummaged through it carefully and pulled out a fragile object wrapped in tissues inside of a small cardboard box. She pulled it out, held it by its metal end and willed her Psynergy into it. More especially, she willed electricity into it.

The light bulb flared to life, illuminating the dreary passageway. Actually, it lit up the walls, the end of the dirty passage out of the bulb's reach. Their shadows danced on the walls as Sheena controlled how much energy she could afford to put into the bulb. Too little, _far_ too little. The glow shrank as she reached a level she knew she could maintain for quite some time. And still the darkness extended in front of her and hovered closer behind, her body blocking the light from extending in backwards direction.

"Well…" Sheena said with a gulp, "we'd better get going."


	18. to the present day Tunnel Ruins

The 8BTFreek: Well, there's a certain role I needed a Lemurian or two to fill and when I read the descriptions of Adrian and Aquae(two people who spend a lot of time in libraries and who no one would listen to), everything just fell into place wonderfully. So thank _you _for creating him. The young and often ignored Senator is going to play a far more important role than you realize.

Potato Man: One word: anthropomorphizing. Hard to say, easy to do.

MiraiEvo: (1) =100th review alarm goes off= **_WHOO-HOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_** =hug-tackle= Ok, so I might be a little sugar-high from all the cookies you've been giving me, but it _is_ cool! As the submitter of the 100th review, you win an Echo song request! Pick a song, I'll try to find the lyrics to it, and in the next chapter, Echo will sing it!

Ok, now to the actual response to your review: I realize that you want Garet to pop up soon, but just _wait _a little bit! I assure you, Gary _will_ remember and various pairings _will_ arrive, but to tell you now would spoil it! And I'd prefer the hug over the slap, but I _do_ have my reviewer shield ready incase you decide upon the latter.

(2) Yeah, I kind of gathered that you were the 100th review submitter. I've been looking forward to this for _weeks!_ And now, not only are you the 100th reviewer, but the 101st reviewer as well!

WildfireDreams: You know, it's _amazing_ the amount of feedback you get when you threaten to have a character kill off one of the favorites.

Avari, wind seer: Their reactions were actually very easy to write. What teenager wants to be in a relationship with a complete stranger four years her senior/his junior? As for Picard… Well, it started as an attempt for some king and peon bonding time, but… didn't really turn out as such. I'm also trying to get across how amazingly _old_ Picard is… but I'm gonna need to work at it.

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End of Response Section

"You don't miss the water until the well runs dry." How remarkably true. Here's another: "You don't miss your internet connection until it goes down." But thankfully I don't use a well and the connection's gone back up, so I'm feeling a lot better. I'm still not completely satisfied with the job I've done on this chapter, but, like the others, it'll do. Hope you enjoy it.

****

Disclaimer: Rallalon does not own Golden Sun, any of its characters, items or locations. Nor does she own jerks, Raccoon Mario, dust, bluffs, the song "Found a Peanut", limited space, illusion, apple tree leaves, headgear, or two tennis courts.

………

"Jake, all four of them have just disappeared! May's friend's car was by the Blue Tower they're always going to, but they were gone!"

Kayla Jerra tried to block out what her mother was saying to her father over the phone. Her brother Gary was missing; yes, Kayla already knew that. Disappeared, without a trace. _The jerk, _she thought, irritated. Irritation was far better than worry in her book.

"Yes_, four_." Her mother sounded halfway hysterical now. "Our son, his friend, our niece, and her friend– I don't _know_ what they were doing by the Tower! They were going to head over here while we waited for you, but then your flight got delayed– I _know_ you know this!"

Kayla couldn't take it anymore; Mrs. Jerra was in danger of going off the deep end and it seemed she was going to drag anyone else who was around down with her. That kid Ian's mother wasn't taking it very well either, but at least she wasn't sobbing or yelling at her husband over the phone.

She left the kitchen and headed into the den where Eric, her other and apparently more sensible little brother was playing on May's old NES. _On second thought…_ Kayla looked over at the woman blankly watching Raccoon Mario engaging in a boss battle. She sat down next to Mrs. Thompson, er, Ms Holstien. So soon after her divorce, her son had gone missing; it was a wonder she wasn't the one going hysterical.

Kayla gave her a weak smile and listened, her mood slightly lightening, to her brother's odd victory song: "Little guy, falling from sky! He is going to die, die, die!" _Very_ odd, considering the "little guy, falling from sky" was Mario.

Ms Holstien clearly wasn't paying attention, her mind obviously somewhere else. While Eric could put off all his problems by drowning himself in video games, the females of the group were definitely doing otherwise.

Leaning back on the couch with a sigh, she stared at the ceiling and prayed, _Little brother, get back here soon!_

………

Venus Lighthouse. So familiar. So freakishly, hauntingly familiar.

His thoughts were making Satornil shudder, but he didn't care. This wasn't a place he wanted to be in. Sure, Isaac wasn't going to attack them when they reached the Aerie, but what about the redhead?

The others will restrain him if that happens, Satornil assured him, fingering his ear. But why were they coming after you anyway? 

I've already told you, the Proxan replied, glancing at the words carved into a relief as he had done so long ago: _If ye seek to climb Venus Lighthouse, first seek the power within. To obtain with power, see with the eyes of truth. Then the way shall open. But the path I reveal is not the beginning. The true beginning lies down pathways on distant soils._

Tell me again. 

It was obvious Satornil was trying to distract him, but he complied. They though we were going to take over the world or destroy it. Who said he had to comply with tons of information?

Satornil, apparently. Why? He was still feeling his ear, running a finger around the rapidly changing edge. The Russian might not have become completely blue or some other respectable color, but his ears were coming along nicely and his senses of smell, hearing, and sight were heightening considerably. They weren't up to par with what Saturos' had been of course, but they weren't horrible, all things considered.

Destroy the world? I have no idea. Anyone with an ounce of sense would see that doing so would be suicide, but the elders of Vale… They don't seemed to have that much sense, if you consider things. 

And why would they think you meant to take over the world? 

Something Kraden said about the power of the Elemental Stars, I suppose. 

Satornil failed to come up with a question and began to look around their surroundings, further increasing Saturos' unease. He kept on expecting an Earth Golem to pop out at them along with a Horned Ghost and a Nightmare. Echo had fallen silent out of respect of his element's Lighthouse, but the party's footsteps resounding off of the walls was starting to make him actually wish for another round of "Found a Peanut". They left their prints in the dust, causing it to swirl, causing them to sneeze. The entire place smelled of dust. Five decrepit statues gazed at them silently from their pedestals, empty gazes searching across the large pit separating them from the group.

Saturos was more than glad to get past that room.

How powerful are they? Satornil suddenly asked.

To put bluntly, they contain the world's life force. How powerful do you think that is? But there was something in the way the Russian had asked… What are you getting at? 

Why would someone want to steal them? 

Take a peek in my memory and answer yourself. 

No, not you. That man at the museum. 

Hmm. Now _there_ was something to think about! Or… maybe not. They're _gems_. Gems are valuable. 

Still… Satonil wasn't sure that was it.

What are the odds that someone would know what they were? Now, I mean. 

Very low, I'd imagine. Weren't they only found recently? 

Yes… 

_Extremely_ low, then. You're probably just looking into it too far; it's disturbing the first time someone attacks you. 

If you're sure. 

I'm sure. Was the boy paranoid or what?

I must be picking it up from you, came the cold reply.

Oh.

"This could be a problem," Picard said from up ahead.

"We got past here last time without a Jupiter Adept," Jenna told him. "But I'm not entirely sure how. Menardi, Saturos! Get up here!"

"I would, but everyone's blocking the doorway," Menardi replied and Saturos echoed her sentiments.

The group made as much room for them as they could in the limited space. They were coming from a small eroding platform with enough room for two abreast if they were friendly and entering a large room where most of it was blocked off by barrier that seemed to be made of something quite similar to lightning. Obviously, no one wanted to get too close to that until Felix/Matthew and Sheba/Whoever turned it off on the other side of the room.

After a fair bit of rearranging, the pair of Proxan/Russians finally were able to see what the problem was: the doorway that led to the chamber that would unlock the route for Felix and Sheba so they could in turn unlock _their_ route was covered by illusion.

That it was was terribly obvious; the rest of the place was crumbling, but one patch of wall was perfectly preserved. So perfectly that it had to be fake.

"_This_ is what you're having trouble with?" Menardi asked disdainfully.

Jenna nodded. "And I didn't see how you did it last time, since you made Felix blindfold me and Kraden before we went through." Her tone suggested that it hadn't been appreciated.

"That's _all_ we did last time," Saturos explained before Menardi flared up because of the girl's tone. "Illusion is only as real as you think it is and you won't have trusted us enough to believe it wasn't a wall."

"There's a difference from being trusting to being down-right gullible."

True.

Menardi shrugged it off. "Anyway, we can just go on through." And with that, Makrina walked through the wall.

Saturos followed with a slight smile at the disbelieving looks of the others. Of course they would all try to get through now although it was highly unnecessary. The way would open only for a Venus Adept, but even though Felix had gone off, they still had Isaac.

Isaac. Now _there_ was a world of thoughts he didn't want to think about.

Saturos looked back over Satornil's shoulder to see the remainder of the group staring, dumbfounded. The illusion was one-way, adding to its ineffectiveness.

However, although it was ineffective, it was still holding Jen(na) back.

Satornil shook his head, agreeing with Saturos' opinion; illusion only had as much power as a person gave it. As far as they could tell, the only difference between going right ahead and using something called "Reveal" first was that with Reveal, one could see where one was going. Still, if a person expected to walk into a wall, then by all means, illusion would let them walk into a wall. As Jen(na) was proving.

Sharing an amused grin with Menardi/Makrina, the pair of then simultaneously reached out, grabbed Jen's hands, and yanked her through. She stared at them with a rather lost look on her face.

"Still resenting us for the blindfold?" Menardi asked as Satonil/Saturos left the pair to venture further on into the chamber.

Wordlessly, the other shook her head.

But Saturos and Satornil weren't paying much attention to this. No, they were rather distracted by the large cracks and breaks in the bridge connecting their side of the room to the "island" in the middle of the chamber. Surrounding this island was, in lack of a better word, a void. Fine, there had to be a bottom to the great hole, but try as he might, even with a Proxanish sense of sight, all he could see down that hole was black, black, and more black.

"How are we going to get across?" Jen thought aloud.

"With my assistance."

Xander's scent hit his nose the same instant Alex's words arrived at his ears. He had had no apparent trouble walking through illusion.

The Lemurians came up the stairway behind him and Alex immediately strode over to Satornil. Maybe he wanted to get the trip over with, maybe he wanted to just get away from the other Mercury Adepts.

More likely the latter.

Satonil watched as the younger man studied the "island" to get the best mental image of it he could. Alex had once explained to Saturos that two things allowed him to target a place: a great amount of Psynergy to focus on or a strong mental image of the pace he was going to. The lack of both of these had stopped him from Warping the party directly to the top, but even with its limitations, his talent was still very useful.

Alex's eyes flickered over the eight… nine… the ten circles in the floor, a smaller black circle in the center surrounded by a loop of gold not completely enclosed by four golden segments of a larger circle. On the right side, in front of a circle and behind on, was a slivery model of a Lighthouse. After studying this, his gaze then lingered on the statue on the far side of the chamber, framed by two columns.

The statue was of a woman, as was the mode they had so far observed. The statue held her hands palm up, her right atop her left. Most of the detail had been worn away, as had whatever faint color it might have once possessed. Still, it could be made out, even from their distance, that her sleeves held one stripe and the shoulders of her gown had a shape resembling that of an apple tree leaf with a great circle in each of their middles. This shape was repeated, the leaf slightly wider, the circle larger, on her chest. All around her neck, except for in her front, a tall collar rose. She wore an odd sort of hat, but in the shadows her headgear cast over her face, her pupil-less eyes stared sternly back at her observers.

How Alex could hold the mental image of the place and reposition himself in it was something that completely eluded Saturos. To have to remember every detail one could think of and then view the room from a different angle, keeping all the details intact!

The back of Satornil's neck prickled as the scent of Ian came into the room.

Picking up on Saturos' sentiments with ease, Satornil joined Makrina, getting away from where Alex/Xander and Isaac/Ian would Warp. Satornil directed a smile at her, but she didn't seem to notice, her mind on over things.

In the moment Satornil had taken his eyes off of them, the pair of Adepts had Warped to the other side of the room, standing next to the miniature Lighthouse. As the Venus Adept approached the statue that would respond only to one of his alignment, a stray thought wandered into one of their minds.

"Picard," Satornil asked, "where are the other two?"

To his credit, Picard immediately knew which group of two he was referring to. "Gary panicked slightly when he realized we'd be going through a 'solid wall'. May is attempting to calm him and once again explain the situation."

"It _is_ a lot to take in," Satornil pointed out.

"True… but you seem to be coping with the experience rather well."

"It's odd," Satornil admitted, "Saturos accepts it, so I do too."

How sure are you on that? Saturos asked in a mocking manner.

Shut up, the other shot back, amused.

Picard seemed to ponder this, but before he could form a reply, a Psynergetic voice filled the air. _"Ye who seek to climb Venus Lighthouse, I shall grant thy wish. The path long closed shall not be opened here. That path begins far, far away, on the soil of an ancient people, with the sunrise to your left as you gaze upon the lighthouse."_

A white light filled the room and six of the circles lit up, four down the center and the two on the right. The middle two of the center glowed blue and all were linked together with segments of gold that had appeared in the floor.

"Ok, Felix," Isaac said to Flint, voicing the thought aloud as to help get it across. "The way is open."

………

"'Ok, Felix. The way is open.'"

"Got it," the old Adept replied through Matthew's mouth. "Come on you two."

"I'm c-coming," Sheena replied, irritated and frightened. She had been acting paranoid ever since they had gone underground.

Matthew couldn't understand it. Of course he couldn't understand how he could be so comfortable with the same situation either. He should be at least a little worried that the roof would collapse, but for some reason he was sure it wouldn't. No, fear seemed to have disappeared from the list of emotions raging through him.

This was amazing! Positively and absolutely amazing! A million years ago, or close enough to it, Felix had walked down this hall. It had been much shorter then though. With all the shifting plates and the world's transition from flat to round, it was a miracle it still existed!

Running a hand along the wall, he delved into with his remaining Psynergy, searching out answers. What he found was remarkable: this wasn't the original tunnel. That tunnel had been pulled apart hundreds of thousands of years ago. It had joined back together comparatively recently, in the last thousand years or so. By why come back together to form the same, abet longer, passage? Was it because of the reincarnation thing? Was everything fated to repeat itself to the extent that the land itself gave way to destiny? Was he, despite everything he did, going to share the fate of his ancient counter-part?

You make it sound as if that's a bad thing. 

No offense meant, Matthew assured him. It's just… He wanted to _choose_ what happened in his life.

I know. 

"A-and _you_'re telling _me _t-to hurry up."

"Coming." He decided not to explain his findings; no sense scaring the girl more than she already was. Too much fear and the light would go out. That was the sole reason why he didn't want her to be scared. That and how she might faint, leaving him to carry her. It was because she would just be even _more_ of a bother than she already was. That was _it_.

They walked along in a silence that grew more and more uneasy with each step. Thankfully, it was soon relieved when a cause for speech was given: a door.

Sheena walked up to the placard to the left of the door and hesitated. Being able to only use one Psynergetic spell at a time, if she were to use Reveal, the light bulb would go out. And if Sheena was terrified of the passage _with_ a lit, how far would her fear escalate in the dark?

Come to think of it… "Why didn't you just bring a flashlight?"

For the first time, she looked almost sheepish. "Thi-this is, was more fun."

He waited for her to use Reveal.

She didn't.

"Well?"

She gulped and muttered something.

Matthew raised an eyebrow.

She muttered it slightly louder.

Matthew waved his hand in an "again" gesture.

"I… I can't."

"Everything will light up again when you use Reveal," Matthew pointed out.

Sheena just shook her head and yelled with more than a trace of panic, "I'm trying, but I can't!"

__

She's going to being the roof down on our heads, yelling like that, Matthew thought. But he couldn't tell her that. "Shh! Are you _trying_ to burst my eardrums?" Maybe he couldn't tell it to her, but that didn't mean he had to be nice. "And you can't do two things with Psynergy at the same time, remember?" That wasn't going to help her, though… "But I'll Set Ether and you can pass the light bulb over to me and then use Reveal. That way the light won't go out."

"You'll break it," Sheena insisted. "And you've barely got any Psynergy left."

Matthew rolled his eyes. "No, I won't, and it'll only be for a second. Ether, Set."

Sheena didn't close her eyes in time and was left blinking away the Setting light.

"That's it!" Matthew realized. He then realized he needed to hush his voice and did so, continuing, "That's it. I switch Ether back and forth from Set and Standby while you use Reveal."

"It won't light anything else but you up," Sheena pointed out.

Matthew was getting more than fed up. "Then focus on me."

She gave him a _look_. It was one of those girl things that guys couldn't manage to do; they could look, but they couldn't _look_. Sheena's current _look_ said quite clearly: "I don't _want_ to focus on you."

And that's what gave Matthew his idea.

Fine, it was mostly a bluff, but at the current rate of how well things were progressing, he might actually have to carry it through. On the plus side, it would make her completely _furious_ with him and possibly alienate her for… for forever!

I can't believe you're even considering this! Felix exclaimed with a mixture of amusement and… maybe shock or something.

Join the club. 

"Sheena," he said with as much "charm" as he could manage, "if you don't give me the light-bulb and use Reveal by the time I count down from three…" He paused and held up three fingers for emphasis. "I am going to –" There he faltered slightly. "I am going to kiss you."

Sheena stared at him. "You wouldn't."

Flude, she might actually make him back up the bluff! "My hormones aren't picky," he replied as nonchalantly as he could.

"You wouldn't," she repeated.

Steeling himself, he put his hands on her shoulders while keeping three fingers elevated and looked her straight in the eyes. "I would." He lowered a finger. "Three."

"I'll slap you," she promised. She looked rather dangerous with the light shining at her side, flickering with her anger like a candle, casting her face into wavering shadow.

"After you use Reveal." At least he was convincing her that he might actually do it. He needed to convince her that he _would_. It was a decent guess that she was letting him touch her because she thought it was more likely that he wouldn't carry through.

Sheena was fairly short, at least in comparison to him, so he'd have to bend down or slouch or something. But, hey, if Spiderman could kiss upside-down…

He shortened himself down until their eyes were on the same level. "Two."

"This is sexual harassment," she declared, still not budging an inch. Apparently she was sure it was harassment that wouldn't arrive.

Oh this was bad, bad, bad! She was calling the bluff! Flude! Now he had to do it… and for some reason the idea terrified him.

It wasn't as if he hadn't kissed a girl before. Fine, it was a grand total of two, but he had gone steady with both girls. Not at the same time, of course; he wasn't a pervert although his current plan was making him consider it. The entire problem was that, unlike Rachel and Diana, he would be kissing a girl he didn't want to go out with. And (the horror!) what if he…_ liked_ it? What if she liked it? What if this unlocked some emotional thingy that would lock them into their collective fate?

This was **_really_ **a bad idea.

But, then again, what if nothing happened? This could prove, once and for all, that the emotional attachments of people didn't get reincarnated and that the relationships of the others were just some weird fluke or something.

He took a deep breath. There was only one way to find out. So he answered with a touch of sadness in his voice, "No, this is submitting to destiny. One."

And he leaned forward.

The next thing he knew, he was doubled over, clutching his stomach. He wasn't sure if he was dizzy or was having seeing problems or if Sheena was just switching back and forth from light-bulb to Reveal in order to make him throw up. But that girl was _strong_!

"Hurry up, Jack," she said from the now open doorway. "We haven't got all day." It seemed she had gotten over her hang-up about the dark.

Still holding his stomach, he weakly did as told. Once he had finally sucked in enough air to speak, he asked, "Why'd you call me Jack?"

"It's short for something. Guess what."

From her tone, he should be lucky that it was his stomach that was hit; it wouldn't surprise him if her kick was as strong, if not stronger, than her punches.

He obediently followed her through the doorway and down a stairway in the wall.

The transition from tunnel to tunnel ruins was fast: a short trip down the stairs. They were in a large chamber, about the size of maybe two tennis courts combined. Roughly a third of it was raised up and they were standing on that part. The wall jutted out halfway to the opposite side were more stairs resided. The floor tiles were a dust-covered golden-khaki. A paler, more golden color ran along the edge of the ledge, making little half-circles every three feet or so. For some odd reason, this seemed to keep people from falling off, despite the lack of a railing. The crumbling walls and stairs a dusty, faded green. Eerily, the bones of what looked like a Manticore King laid by the large hole that made up nearly a fourth of the chamber, as if something had killed it and tried to clear the room.

That explains were all the monsters have gone, Felix commented dryly.

Once down the stairs, there was a large statue, three times Matthew's height. Although he knew to take the passage leading across the hole, he approached the statue and stood in her cupped hands.

__

Ye who seek to climb Venus Lighthouse, the lady knows your desires. A voice of Psynergy spoke directly into Matthew's mind. The "desires" part made him shift uncomfortably; suddenly the eyes of the statue seemed to be very… knowing, very… amused. _Here, your path shall not be opened._

He stood there for a moment, thinking. Who was the lady? What did she think she knew? Was the message automatic and the same for everyone or was some old, mystic lady peeking around his head. Felix alone was bad enough!

Hey! 

No offense meant. 

"Hurry _up_, Jack!"

Wonderful. A new nickname.

He followed behind at a slow casual saunter, exaggerated in its slowness, making up for his previous obedience.

Sheena glowered.

He grinned.

The next chamber was as large as the first, once again two stories high with a large, yet smaller, hole and the lowered area was relatively small. Two pillars, rising a full story, were against the wall of the lower section.

Taking a cue from Felix, Matthew strode over to the stairs and down before using Move on the pillars. One pillar only needed one Move, but the one in the corner required two, leaving Matthew exhausted, because even with Felix guiding him, it still took a good deal of his energy. And with Move being one of the simplest things one could do with Psynergy, it was clear that his skill wasn't at all impressive.

Now to push them into place. Yellow at the top, red at the bottom, and gray throughout the middle, the things were a good deal taller than he was and at least three feet per side. But surprisingly, they gave way without too much trouble, as if their bottoms were greased or something. With each shove, the pillars would move with a sound similar to that of a rumbling stomach, forcibly reminding Matthew of his own.

Fairly winded, he made his way back up the stairs, slowly. Sheena stared at him, apparently impressed.

He certainly wasn't going to tell her how easily those things moved!

A hop, skip, and a jump later, they were across and moving into the next room.

Unlike the last two, this room was mostly hole. There were six pillars rising up through the blackness that Sheena's light bulb couldn't eliminate, three off to the side, three right in front of them. Four careful jumps later, they were across.

Matthew let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Although it required the same skill, leaping across a pit was much more stressful than hopping across pillars on solid ground.

The next room took them by surprise. The floor was divided into three parts by the pit and on two of them stood a much shorter pillar than the ones Matthew had pushed earlier. It slid with surprising ease; it was hollow. He pushed it into its hole and waited for the pillar that it was obviously connected to to rise.

It didn't

"I think it needs to be filled with water," Sheena suggested.

"So you see a Mercury Adept around here?"

"Do you have a the Douse Drop?"

"Answer my question."

"No."

"Exactly. All I've got is the Carry Stone."

Sheena groaned and Matthew felt like doing the same. Instead he did something more productive and thought to Echo, We're stuck! We need Mercury Psynergy or the Douse Drop to get through this way and I don't think either is going to show up any time soon. We're going back to the splitting point of the path, so when I give the signal, change it. 

((Got it!))

"Come on, pest. We're heading back."

………

"'We're stuck! We need Mercury Psynergy or the Douse Drop to get through this way and I don't think either is going to show up any time soon. We're going back to the splitting point of the path, so when I give the signal, change it.'"

Xander nearly groaned. He didn't want to Warp again. Wasn't four times enough?

Wordlessly, he nodded to Ian and the pair of them went back up the disguised stairs. They had been waiting in the room below with the rest, waiting for Felix and Sheba to push the statue into place. He had been getting half a mind to simply Warp across the room and do it himself. But even if he did that, Matthew and(… what was her name? Echo had mentioned it… oh, yes:) Sheena would still be stuck and at least one Mercury Adept would have to double back for them. It was best he open the way for those two and then do the same for the rest of them.

"Really?" Ian asked.

Xander gulped and nodded. Alex? 

You know what to do. 

And he did so. He was amazed to discover that after five times, he was getting used to the disappointment.

And that scared the flude out of him.

Giving Xander a nod of thanks and Alex a look that clearly stated "I'm keeping my eye on you", Ian/Isaac dashed up to the statue and paused, looking at Echo.

"'We're ready.'"

Once again, the white light filled the chamber. Now the first and last circles in the middle were lit and only one on the right, but all of those on the right glowed. The one second closest to the statue on the left glowed yellow, the color of Venus.

Felix should be able to deal with that.

One more trip back and a short climb down the crumbling stairs, and they were back with the main group. Ian/Isaac immediately went back to his futile attempt to sort things out with the Proxans while the Lemurians talked amongst themselves and Gary was stilling trying to convince his cousin that all of this was madness even as she argued the opposite case.

May… He let his thoughts linger on her for a moment before he noticed Alex was doing the same with her dead counter-part. Apparently it wasn't easy to have a love life when people thought you to be evil.

But enough of that. Now it was time for him to think of something else. His seventh time Warping, for instance.

He looked across the lightning-like barrier at the rubble and studied the area in which he'd be appearing. In order to make it easier, he stared at the wall. He'd pop up beside it and it would be all that he could see; therefore, there was a lot less detail for him to memorize.

At once he began convincing himself of the likelihood that he would find the ultimate place there. A place so unlikely that it actually made sense. Perhaps the directions to it were carved into the wall, too small to make out from here. All he had to do was get there, Warp through the boundary. It was so close! Just Warp through, just Warp through…

Alex was criticizing at his best, mocking the dust-covered floor and the fainted colors, the crumbling walls and the ineffective illusion. It was so horrible and crowded over here!

And so roomy and wonderful over there!

The mindset complete, Alex took hold of Xander's Psynergy and Warped them…

A trickle of water ran along the ground. It reached sand and sunk in, moving quickly through the permeable ground. Down and down it went, but now the sand was turning to soil and the water was forced to avoid roots or be sucked up. It slowly continued its race to the depths of the ground, plunging through it as a scuba diver plunges down into the sea.

But then… Bedrock! It could descend no further! Wait, no, it still could, sliding along the impermeable rock. It wasn't completely flat.

So the trickle speed along the rock, much slower than it had before. Deeper and deeper and… oh, no! It had fallen into a bowl-shape depression in the rock! No longer did it move deeper; no longer did it move at all! It was trapped!

And so were they! Trapped in mid-Warp!

Distantly, Xander was somehow aware of the others becoming alarmed at his disappearance and wondering we he had gone. The Proxans shared a look before dashing through the illusion and up the stairs. Picard and his Lemurian shadow went downstairs to check if he had gone there, leaving Ian, Crest, Gary and May to remain where they were.

It was only when he saw May's mouth move when he realized that he couldn't hear.

Things grew hazy and hard to focus on. He couldn't see or hear! He couldn't even reach Alex! He couldn't… couldn't…


	19. to the present day Venus Lighthouse

Alexditto: ::is cracking up, thinking: _I've made up a swear word and people are cursing with it!_:: Oh, yeah: Ivan's coming, soon enough.

Empress Dotdotdot: Actually… it was the name for Math's hole. It was in Sheena's perspective and so instead of calling it "Math's Hole"… um, yeah.

It's actually _fun_ to write the arguments! It makes me remember an ad for a movie: "A classic romance movie… of two people who can't stand each other."

No, Xander's pretty much safe. Ok, fine, maybe not, but there won't be any _lasting_ damage. His getting caught by the barrier while Warping is mostly subplot development.

WildfireDreams: This fic sounds familiar… Was it Adventures in Adept Training or something like that?

Avari, wind seer: I spent around half an hour staring at my GBA, so I'm _very_ glad you think so.

MiraiEvo: (1) The pairings are coming! has a sudden mental image of a guy on horseback galloping around, yelling: "The pairings are coming! The pairings are coming!" Two more on the way and then (possibly) two more after that!

Boy, if the Lemurians thought the Weird Al songs were odd… The song'll pop up in the scene after the "random conversation".

It's not so much as "indifference" as that emotion that makes you say: "I'll tear your guts out with a spork if you so much as come near me" combined with a little, teeny, tiny, iddy-bit of attraction.

(2) The _"whole thing"?_ As in from chapter one to chapter 18? is suddenly hit by an inexplicable need to edit

TemplarofNi: For the sake of subplot, let's just say that you can.

Zero-no-uta: Sorry for the long wait.

Potato Man: Breakfast is good. And the Lighthouse didn't blow up, it was just lit; the earthquake resulted from the power of Venus being unleashed.

Vyctori: Clichéd is never good, but I think the way I brought Menardi back was. That's one of the reasons why I'm working so hard on avoiding it now.

You're probably going to think I'm nuts, but the Warp concept was brought into being when MiraiEvo commented that it was a good time for Xander to Warp, but she guessed he couldn't. And then I went off on several dozen tangents and came up with it.

Ack! Typos, where?!

Sorry for the long wait.

DarkIssac: Thank you, but I don't think it is.

The 8BTFreek: ::cocks head to the side and rereads first sentence:: Really?

And_ I'_m making _you_ confused? Have you read your own fic? And if you think "Found a Peanut" is weird, just you wait for the song of this chapter! ::raises mug of Mug root beer.::

Ookami Kage: Thanks and sorry for the long wait.

**End of Response Section**

Sorry it took me a month or so to update, but there _is_ a reason. I write this fic on a laptop, you see. And the laptop broke and had to be send far, _far_, away to get fixed. But now it's back, so things are good again. I'm hoping to get the next chapter up soon, but I also _really_ want to edit some of the previous chapters.

8/28/04

Previous chapters have now been editted, and let me tell you, it took a while! For those of you who don't want to go back and reread the whole thing looking for variations, I'll clue you in on a couple things:

(1) Math is no longer Math. I decided to ditch the nickname and just call him by his full name; I was thinking of renaming him Fred or Felton, but this far into the fic it would be rather weird. Anyway, when you read this chapter, I want to be aware of how many times you see the word "Matthew". Multiply that by about 15.

(2) Oliver Crest is a father. (His daughter's name is Melana.) There are plot reasons behind this.

(3) The "Pops" nickname is also gone, replaced by "Doc" as it made more sense. Don't worry; Xander's still Xander and I put in a reason for it.

(4) Sheena/Sheba and Hua/Hama are no longer in contact with each other. Therefore, Sheba and Sheena don't know about Hama's prediction.

(5) There is no #5.

****

Disclaimer: Rallalon does not own Golden Sun or any of its characters, items or locations. Nor does she own eggs, ivy, pillars, statues, a certain song, the sound _thud!_, conscious decisions or fools(once again with the exception of herself).

………

__

I don't like him._ I _really_ don't like him._

And the arguing tactic wasn't going too well. Instead of getting one of them ticked off from losing, the debate went on and on. Then there was how it wasn't really one of those topics where you can get angry while arguing:

"…could've gradually evolved," Sheena explained as the pair jumped across the pit, "all forms of it hatching from eggs and then, after thousands of years of this, the chicken evolved." They were going down the other, slightly longer(?) path.

"But the chicken could've been born without the egg for years," Matthew countered badly, still slightly sulky that he didn't get to be Pro-egg, "and then was finally forced to adapt to lay eggs. Move," he added, arm outstretched toward yet another pillar. A giant, pale hand appeared, mimicking that of the Adept. Matthew mimed pushing the pillar and the hand copied perfectly. After repeating this on another pillar and pushing both into position, the pair, with Sheena in the lead, continued onto the next room.

"Wait, are we talking about chicken eggs, or just any old kind of egg?" Sheena inquired, losing her train of thought as she took her turn pushing a pillar that was about her height. It wasn't very easy to push something that big and keep a steady flow of Psynergy to her light bulb. In fact, doing so was starting to get very wearisome.

Matthew pushed the other one and Sheena darted up the stairs and jumped across, more than ready to cast Whirlwind despite the darkness that would occur. Unfortunately, the thick ivy was stubborn and forced her to use the move twice, extending the period of darkness. Embarrassed, she tried not to look at her unwilling companion as she stepped back for him to push the uncovered pillar to the area below.

"Just chicken eggs," the young Venus Adept replied as if it were the most stupid question he had ever heard. Had he heard _any_ of his own arguments?!

After a little more pillars shoving, they were onto the next room.

It was a hallway, actually. There was a section where the familiar pit was on both sides, leaving only a decrepit path, full of breaks, wide enough for one. Matthew went first and for once Sheena had no complaints. The footing was poor and the golden design that had magically, er, Psynergetically kept them from falling off in other rooms had been worn away. She cautiously dipped her foot over the side over the side to test her unpleasant theory.

Yes, here they could fall.

The panic that she had been trying to suppress once again reared its ugly head. The light flickered uncontrollably. If she wasn't killed in a cave in, she'd fall down the pit onto spikes or break her bones and starve there. Or she could fall and trigger a cave in and be crushed to death even as she fell. Or –

"At Mercury Lighthouse, Picard, Menardi, Saturos, and Kraden's incarnation had to walk across a pathway made of light," Matthew commented nonchalantly as he walked, Flint whispering something into his ear. "Picard said that when he first tried to step on it, his foot sunk through. I think he would've compared it to thick jello if he had known what jello is." Matthew hopped over a break and then another before speaking again. "Seriously, Alex Warped me up to the top and we saw it. Less than an inch thick. You're on the metric system right? It might've been about… two centimeters."

Sheena followed wordlessly, not trusting herself to speak. Oh, flude, she had to jump!

"And you know what? They all made it. Even Doc, you know, Dr Crade, Kraden's incarnation. The Lighthouse wanted them to light it so it made sure they got across. Apparently, Picard and Crade talked to it and it understood. I never thought a building could be that smart."

Just a small jump, a small jump, a small jump, a small jump…

The light bulb was wavering, adding to her fear.

You can do it, Sheena, it's okay.

Breath's right, this is easy. We're all here for you,

Sheba, could you…? If she wasn't the one that had to move her body, it would only be a good thing.

Gladly. 

The next thing she knew, Sheena was across. Blinking, she looked up at Matthew, confused. That was fast. Not only had Sheba gotten her across in one piece, she had blocked out her experience of it.

You're welcome. 

Thank you… She felt as if her knees had disappeared and desperately wanted to sit down.

"Are you alright?" Matthew asked, eyebrow raised, as he noticed her wobble.

"Fine," she snapped, harsher than she had intended. He had been trying to help her with his talk of the path of light. For some reason, the thought angered her even more. He shouldn't be trying to help her! He should be mean and an idiot and easy to hate!

But at least they were making progress and would soon be with the main group. Then they would be with people they actually wanted to talk to. With people they weren't supposed to fall in love with. With people it was ok to like.

"Are you coming, or do I need to carry you?"

"I'm coming, Jack."

Matthew just shrugged. The insult didn't seem to even faze him anymore.

Upon entering the next room, Sheena was glad to see that a golden pattern was on the edge of the ledge; they wouldn't be able to fall off even if they tried. Unfortunately, that left them with a bit of a bother regarding the three worn stone blocks. They decorated with pairs of "L"s partially enclosing rectangular dots. Strangely enough, the black designs weren't painted on, but were part of the rock.

Peering over the edge, Sheena inspected the set of scales attached to the wall. "I _think_ they're still workable. Ether?"

The Jupiter Djinni hovered about the scale, giving it a through expection, before chirping in the affirmative.

Matthew looked down at the scale, determining where the blocks would have to be dropped. "Ok, so two on the one closest to the door…" he mumbled to himself. "That's all it should take… but can it hold the weight?"

"Only one way to find out," Sheena pointed out.

Matthew nodded, taking the Carry Stone out of his pocket. Most likely listening to Felix's instructions, he held the gray stone between his hands. Before he sent a tendril of Psynergy into it, he lowered his hands so that he was holding it around waist level. Slowly, not entirely trusting the metallic rock to stay floating, he took his hands away. "Carry." Immediately, he brought his hands back and lifted, holding with his palms, his fingers stiff, his hands perpendicular to the floor; ghost hands formed and mimicked his action on the stone block, golden sparkles raining down. He gently moved the stone toward the edge before cutting the vine of Psynergy that connected him to the Carry Stone; the pale hands moved the block so that it was no longer hovering over the floor before letting it drop…

And drop…

And drop.

Not hearing the customary _thud!_ Sheena looked over the edge once more. "You missed."

"What?"

"You missed," she repeated.

"What do you mean, 'I missed'?"

"I mean, you missed. You didn't push it over far enough."

"Well, we'll only need two," Matthew said, attempting to recover. "I was just warming up."

Thankfully, Matthew didn't miss again and after two more shows of sympathetic Psynergy, the pair was well on their way.

It was which way that was the problem.

So… Right or left? Sheena asked.

Left. Right just has a statue that's really a treasure chest. 

"Felix says we should go left," Matthew declared.

Sheena tried to resist the urge to roll her eyes and failed miserably.

The next room was occupied by five statues, each with her own color. They were already arranged in a position that opened the door so Matthew immediately went on ahead, only pausing when he realized the source of light wasn't coming with him.

Sheena had stopped to study the tall statues that seemed to speak to her soul. They seemed alive in the pulsing light despite being made of stone and their inhuman height. When she raised the light to better see the face of the blue one, the other's eyes stared back, as if aware of her gaze. _Who made these? And when?_

"Are you going to stop and stare at something in _every_ room?" Matthew asked impatiently. He seemed to be trying to make up for his earlier concern.

"How old are these?" Sheena thought aloud, bent on ignoring the Venus Adept. "They were here in Sheba's time and even before…"

"_Very_ old. Felix doesn't even know what kind of rock that is," Matthew answered, laying a hand on the purple. "It seems to have been… grown."

"Grown? Like a plant?"

"Sort of…"

Sheena couldn't see his facial expression, but she could tell he was puzzled. It was a Jupiter Adept thing.

"Not that this isn't interesting, but couldn't you hurry up?" Flint asked. "Isaac says Alex has Warped off somewhere and they don't know where he is."

"Tell him we're coming," Matthew replied. "We can always come back here later; Doc'll want to check this out too."

Sheena nodded before realizing one of the pronouns Matthew had used. He seemed to have realized it too. Exchanging glares, they continued on.

Here was another hallway, this one fairly intact with a grand doorway, framed by a pair of green and yellow-gold striped pillars. Above the arched gold doorway was carved an eye-like figure, its color matching that of the arch. Before it on the ground was a mosaic of a yellow-gold tree within a dark green oval encompassed by a rectangle of a lighter shade. In each corner of the rectangle there was a triangle the same color of the tree.

This was the entrance to Venus Lighthouse.

"It feels like the museum room…" Matthew murmured.

Sheena had no idea what he was talking about but felt very out of place and tried to avoid stepping on the mosaic. She was more than glad to climb up the spiral staircase and be out from under the eye's watchful and creepy gaze.

The next room held two other doors and yet another mosaic, this one with purple oval and rectangle surrounding a pale green tree. The walls were purple with pale green lining instead of green with yellow lining.

Matthew darted across the room to the door on the far side of the room. Dashing up yet another spiral staircase, Matthew called out, "Guys! We're back!"

Sheena followed, close on his heels. She was going to meet them! She'd get to meet Picard and Jenna and Isaac and Garet and Mia and Saturos and Menardi! And Alex, if they ever found him, but he wasn't really that interesting, being evil.

You're going to like them. Not Alex, but the rest of them. I didn't really get to know Menardi or Saturos so this should be interesting for both of us. 

"Hi, Sheba!"

"Jenna!" the older Jupiter Adept called back, momentarily taking control of the younger's vocal cord. "Mia! Garet!"

"I feel ignored," Isaac murmured in a voice just loud enough to carry.

"I missed you and Picard, too," she assured him. "And… hello, you two."

The Proxans nodded in acknowledgement.

Were they always that aloof? 

Felix says it took a while for them to warm up to people. Rather odd, considering their Element. "Who are your friends, Picard?" Sheba asked as Matthew/Felix began pushing the statue into position.

Picard grinned. "Curious as ever, I see. This is Andrew Stormwind and Oliver–"

A soft_ click!_ was heard and the barrier ceased to exist. In the place of the four lightning-like things that had joined the two walls stood a teenager, appearing the exact moment the barrier left. He remained standing, limp, for but a moment.

He then came crashing to the floor.

………

"I hope they're ok."

"We left Echo with them; I'd know if something bad, er, _worse_ came up. But you_ do_ realize you could've stayed with them, Jen?"

"Yes… But Mia and Alex need to work some stuff out."

"Oh, _really_?"

"Don't sound so amused, Matthew. And I don't think they're the only ones who need a little therapy; you've been acting weird. Really sarcastic. Kind of like Echo."

"I can be sarcastic if I want. And in case you haven't noticed, we're _possessed_; we're supposed to be acting a little weird."

"It's odd… I think we're more ok with it than Gary is and he's still 'normal'. I wonder why."

"I made a conscious decision when I reached for the Sol Blade. You made one when you reached for the Tomegathericon. Neither of us knew what would result from it, but we _did_ do something to set it off. Gary might not have found something that would do the same to him."

"I can hear you, you know."

"That's nice, Gary; go away. Wait… Math, how did you know I reached for–"

"Felix."

"You're so polite."

"Humph. That girl puts me in a bad mood."

"Who? Sheena? So _what _if Felix and Sheba got hitched? What makes you think you'll end up the same way if you just try to be civil?"

"Everyone else is pairing up. Xander was nearly going out with May. Satornil and Makrina have _finally_ gotten together; he's been trying to get her attention for _months_. Two out of four relationships have already started. Unless…"

"Ok, _that_'s a scary look."

"Are you and Gary…?"

"Felix may have gotten a little sway when it came to who Jenna dated, but you're just a cousin!"

"My point is, I don't want to be ruled by fate or destiny or whatever."

"All right… So why won't you be civil?"

"Didn't you hear _anything _I just said?"

"Yes. But you could _really_ prove fate wrong if you got to be friends instead. Alienating is easy, making friends is hard."

"Why aren't you resisting this?"

"Why should I be?"

"Don't you want to control your own life?"

"I _am_ controlling my own life, Matthew. Anyway, think of the odds; even if a pair of us who got married in a past life went out, what are the chances that the pair would get married?"

"Pretty good, I think."

"Mattheeeeew …"

"You haven't sensed the rock in the tunnel ruins!"

"What does _rock_ have anything to do with?"

"Plenty! The tunnel was torn apart by platonic forces hundreds of thousands of years ago. _But the passage was reformed!_ What are the odds of _that?!_"

"Not good…"

"Exactly! I'm not taking any chances. Why couldn't the present day Babi have kidnapped her or something? I don't want to deal with her!"

"Did you say something about Babi?"

"Yeah, Picard. Why didn't he kidnap her or something?"

"Well, I supposed that would be hard for a corpse to do."

"A _corpse_?"

"Yes. Without the draught, Babi wouldn't have lived long enough to kidnap Sheba. Plus, even if the recent one was alive now, it wouldn't matter. He doesn't know about the draught and so wouldn't kidnap someone to build a tower to find Lemuria."

"Oh."

"Makes sense."

"So, Matthew, how does Echo say Xander is?"

"Well, _that_'s rather random."

"It seems to me that this entire conversation is rather random."

"Point taken. Xander's still not up. Echo thinks it's like what you had; not dead, not asleep, not out cold."

"Then he should come back to his body eventually."

"That's goo– Oh. Echo's… singing."

"That bad? What song is it?"

………

"Stacey's mom has got it going on;

She's all I want and I've waited for so long.

Stacey, can't you see? You're just not the girl for me.

I know it might be wrong but I'm in love with Stacey's mom."

The little Djinni seemed intent on cheering the both of them up. "Thanks, Echo, but you can shut up now."

Echo gave her a level gaze and just kept on singing.

That song is… Mia began, unsure of the proper adjective.

A bit disturbing, I know, May replied, absentmindedly stroking Xander's temple, a habit of Mia's when she was worried about an unconscious patient. I wonder what Picard would think of it. 

He might've heard it before, Mia realized, noticing May's memories of radios and music videos that Picard could've stumbled across had he decided to explore a Best Buy. But I wonder how he would've reacted to it. 

I bet it was funny. 

"Mia…"

May's hand jerked along with the rest of her body and Mia retreated, distancing herself from May's senses. "Xander? Your what?" May asked, kneeling over him, her voice full of concern.

"Stacey's mom has got it go–"

"Shut up, Echo." But it seemed that concern was a bit selective.

May, he said my name. 

Oh. Both of them sounded oddly detached. So, that would make him… 

Alex. 

One of Xander's eyes opened slightly, but it was, without a doubt, Alex looking up at her/them.

She/they stared back at him/them.

It was eerily quiet; even Echo had gone silent, sensing the tension.

………

It had been very odd, struggling to get back to a body that wasn't his. And despite all his effort, he was certain that it was outside influence that had put him back in Xander's body. Xnader himself seemed to be floating about still…

But he would come back, that Alex was sure of. That was as certain as Mia hating him.

As always, the thought pulled at something inside of him, something that made him want to find that everything he had done since his first Warp hadn't really happened. That it had been a dream and no more. That he could still be content with a place. That Mia still loved him.

The list went on and on, but none of them were true. This too was a certainty that seemed to have impressed itself upon his very soul…

He was being _very_ over-dramatic and couldn't bring himself to care.

But this was why it came as such a shock when he felt her fingers along the side of his face.

"Mia…" The hand jerked.

This was a dream, it had to be. There was no other way to explain it. Unless…

No, this was the dream. He would look and prove it to himself; Mia wasn't concerned about him. She wouldn't ever be again. That voice speaking unfamiliar words wasn't hers. Still, it took him a while to summon the will necessary to open an eye.

A girl stared back, leaning over him, black-dyed hair spilling over her shoulders. Not Mia. Similar, but still not Mia. No, this was her reincarnation although Mia was in there with her.

A familiar feeling began in his chest, the one he always experienced after Warping. It was as if something inside him was shrinking or deflating. Even though he had known otherwise, his heart had expected the impossible and once again it had managed to crush itself, squeezing out one of his few remaining shreds of hope. He had never had many shreds left over from Warping. The Golden Sun had been a long shot, a _very_ long shot.

And now he paid the price.

He was dead and so was Mia; it was pointless to now wish otherwise. He had died early and she had gone on to love another. She would've had children as well. She would've aged, gradually gaining wisdom and losing her outer beauty, a redundancy when her inner was considered.

And he had never seen this. He had never lived long enough to witness her playing with a grandchild or even lying about her age. There was so much of his life that he had never gotten to experience, so much of his life he would've spent with her. And now he desperately wanted that life back, when it was too late.

When he had lost her so utterly and completely.

She backed away, still glaring, allowing him to sit up. He did so.

"What did you do?"

This was a very cold Mia, one holding her emotions at arm's length. Alex wasn't sure what reaction he had been expecting, but this wasn't it.

Somehow he got Xander's vocal cords to work. "We Warped. And the barrier caught us."

He could tell that neither liked the pronouns he was using. It was obvious that they prefer Xander to remain separate from him.

"Is Xander alright?"

Alex fought off a grimace. Of course they would be worried about Xander and not him! He'd have to be a fool to even hope otherwise.

He fully recognized himself as a fool. A fool who wanted the impossible. A fool who had thrown away everything he should have ever wanted in a search for what he had.

He'd give _anything_ to see Mia smile at him again, to have her squeeze his hand, to hear her say those three words again with a slight blush spreading across her pale cheeks. He wanted to listen to her humming to herself and to see that small frown that always came across her face when she was worried about him.

Because _that_ was his ultimate place. He was sure of it.

But he was also sure he'd never reach it. Mia hated him and it was his fault. Now he had to live… er, be dead with it. And stop whining about it like the idiot that he was.

"Is Xander all right?" she repeated.

"He's coming."

She looked relieved, as she once would've been for him. He might have lost Mia, but Xander had not yet lost May. His reincarnation still stood a chance.

Even if he didn't.


	20. to present day Venus Lighthouse Aerie

Zero-no-uta: Alex-_sama_? I'm guessing he's one of your favorite characters.

Ookami Kage: Thank you and glad to make your day(even if happening so much later than expected). would insert happy emicon, but it won't upload

WildfireDreams: I love the song, but I only put one verse in. I think Silver and Gold is by Vilya, but I'm not sure.

Potato Man: I pray for the well being of your internet connection. And you're good at humor too! Ok, it was mostly the little part you put in where the king randomly talks to himself. I seriously burst out laughing; it's a pity that's not actually a part of the story.

Okashira Kitsune-dono: I'm flattered really, but I think you're missing out on a lot of great fics. May I suggest the AU Nameless by Alex Glaven and Forms by The 8BTFreek?

MiraiEvo: Canadashipping, I like.

Sporks are wonderful! I'd show you the emicon here, but it won't upload. It's a number sign, an under-dash, and another number sign. It means "My eyes have been gorged out by a spork!" At least, that's how my cousin uses it.

Picard in Best Buy… Yes, that _would _be fun to put in… goes off on random tangent

TemplarofNi: Yes, Alex is a very cool character.

Avari, wind seer: All hail the finder of typos! I have gone back, I have edited, and if you find any more, I would be forever grateful if you were to point those out as well. Thank you.

Alexditto: So… Good angst? I'm never sure if what I write is good or not and angst is rather difficult. Do it the wrong way and the character is whining and annoying.

The 8BTFreek: chugs MRB I too live in the Acronym-happy USofA. But you know what's weird? I told a friend about that argument and within five minutes I was argued into the ground that the chicken came first; yes, I should never try out for debate team.

I have no idea what kind of a fic this is. Heck, I don't even remember what genre I put for it. I think I'll change it to general/humor or just to general.

Thank you. I wasn't sure how good the angst was; I'm feeling rather relieved right now.

****

End of Response Section

Previous chapters have now been edited, and let me tell you, it took a while! For those of you who don't want to go back and reread the whole thing looking for variations, I'll clue you in on a couple things:

(1) Math is no longer Math. I decided to ditch the nickname and just call him by his full name; I was thinking of renaming him Fred or Felton, but this far into the fic, such a large change would be rather weird. Anyway, when you read this chapter, I want to be aware of how many times you see the word "Matthew". Multiply that by about 20.

(2) Oliver Crest is a father. (His daughter's name is Melana.) Don't ask.

(3) The "Pops" nickname is also gone, replaced by "Doc" as it made more sense. (Don't worry; Xander's still Xander.)

(4) Sheena/Sheba and Hua/Hama are no longer in contact with each other. Therefore, Sheba and Sheena don't know about Hama's prediction.

And please, if you find spots with typos or a place where Matthew's still being refereed to as "Math" or something that just doesn't make a lot of sense, please tell me. I'll (try to) fix it. Thank you for being patient with me and I'm sorry for the long time between updates; I'm easily sidetracked and one-shots are oh so shiny.

****

Disclaimer: Rallalon does not own Golden Sun or any of its characters, items or locations. Nor does she own odd combinations, tapestries, airplanes, hours, or sentences. Lord Adrian Murray is the property of The 8BTFreek. Lord Aquae is the property of Yoshimi Takahashi. Calines, however, _are_ her own creations.

………

What he was doing was all right. He wasn't trespassing… no, he was just doing some research. That's what Aquae had called it so it must be so…

Adrian Murray continued telling himself such things as he strode down the hall, his mentor's caline following on padded feet. Aquae had decided that the building looked like a lighthouse, an Elemental one by the description. And they'd have to know about those and determine which one it was before they could have a hope of carrying a plan off. After they came up with the plan, that was.

Looking up and down the hall, Adrian reached for a doorknob and gently turned it. To his surprise, the door opened. King Piers was either very trusting or he would somehow know of intruders.

__

This is to save his life, Adrian told himself. _He wouldn't mind._ He looked inside.

Wrong room.

Ten minutes later, he had retraced his footsteps and found what he believed to be the correct door. His first clue was that it was locked, but with Psynergy. Giving him the mental image of a block, it was similar to the ones used for the doors on ships to keep them from opening by accident if the waves were rough. It was similar but not the same; this one was much stronger, and complex.

Exerting as much Psynergy as he could, he struck at the Psynergy block. No success.

Again.

Nothing.

Again!

No.

__

Again!

No.

**__**

Again!

………

__

Hmm? Picard looked about. _What was that?_

Psynergy, perhaps, but by who? Mia/May and Alex/Xander were quite a ways behind. The Russian/Proxans were also lagging accompanied by Ian/Isaac and Gary, an odd combination all things considered. Oliver and Andrew were closer, Jen(na) and her cousin/brother behind them.

And Sheena/Sheba was wondering why he was no longer paying attention to their conversation.

Picard shook off the odd feeling. "You were saying?"

………

Panting, Adrian leaned against the wall, Aquae's caline rubbing against his leg, purring. _That_ had been a good deal harder than it should've been. Did the king undo that and set it back up _every_ time he wanted to go into his chambers? Insanity!

Maybe this was part of the Theory of Decrease Aquae had, that Psynergy was weakening with each generation. Perhaps in King Piers' time he had had average potential that had been trained to its limit; that alone would be proof for the theory.

But this wasn't time to be thinking about theories! This was time to be searching!

Forcing himself to relinquish the support of the wall, Adrian turned instead to the support of a lightly, but excellently gilded chair. Knowing that he could be discovered any hour, he took a quick look around a room he was fairly certain he'd never set foot in again. The blue rug was well woven and wore the design of a golden pier on shining blue waters, obviously the emblem of the king's House. The furniture in the sitting room seemed to have accumulated use only over _many_ years, giving Adrian the impression that they were seldom used. There was a clock on the mantle, Djinn carved into the design. Built into the wall was a tall wooden bookcase, its selves filled with volumes for the first three shelves, the rest filled with many pieces of some sort of crystal. The doorway that led to another chamber had a door hanging instead of a door, giving the room a slightly foreign look. The sole tapestry was very old, depicting an event that Adrian had no knowledge of.

All in all, the sitting room could pass for that of a minor noble. But where to loo-

"_Get down from there!_" he yelled in a whisper.

The caline looked up from its spot on a bookshelf and refused to comply. Aquae probably let it sleep on bookshelves all the time, but the animal had gone and knocked over half a dozen of the crystals. Maybe he was just being paranoid, but he didn't want _any_ evidence that someone had been in here.

After a moment of persuading himself to get up from the chair, he set the caline back on the floor. "Stay there."

Now… how had those crystals been arranged? They had a shape similar to a Psy Crystal, but the color and size was off. They might've been a variation made to hold something else besides Psynergy. Hoping nothing bad would happen, he tentatively reached for one.

__

"I'm not coming out, Lunpa," his mouth said. Lunpa? Who was Lunpa? And where was he? Adrian found he couldn't move. No, his body was moving, but he had lost control of it. It was very odd. He felt… taller. And stronger. And strangely embarrassed, but he couldn't tell what from. It seemed to be connected to the fact that there was something heavy on his head and he felt like he was nearly swimming in cloth. He wasn't sure, though.

"Come off it, Picard. It can't be that_ bad," someone, Lunpa, called from the sitting room._

"I'm not coming out," his mouth insisted.

"Fine, then. I'm coming in." Before he could protest, the door opened to reveal a gray-haired man with a bit too much nose. His expressive eyebrows were obviously being restrained and while he was keeping a straight face, it was with great difficulty. The energetic old man appeared to be fighting back laughter as he tried to find something supportive to say. Key word being "tried".

"I look like an idiot."

At this a smile forced its way onto Lunpa's face and the Mercury Djinn on his shoulder made a sound rather like a chortle. He shushed Tonic and replied, "No, Picard. You look like a royal_ idiot."_

"Thank you," he said dryly. "You've been a wonderful help."

"Haven't I?" Lunpa agreed, toying with his moustache. "Because once we get the robes hemmed and such to fit you, you'll just look royal."

Picard sat down with a sigh as Adrian wracked his brain, trying to remember every Picard he had met. Which one was this? Or was it just some hallucination caused by the crystal…?

"Looking the part isn't the same as being suited for the part." That came out as a mumble, filled with the feeling of being over-whelmed.

Lunpa sat down next to him. "King Hydros thought you were the best choice. And do you know what? Even Conservito_ thinks so."_

A king, first name Picard. Could this be…?

"Lunpa, I don't know the first thing about being king," Picard stressed.

"That's what you have an advisor, me, for. But," Lunpa continued, his expression turning serious, "I want you to make me a promise."

"What is it?"

"When your friends came to visit that long time ago, they told me that my grandson was the ruler of my town. Promise me you won't rule."

"Then wha-"

"Promise me you'll govern_. I'm not just being fussy about word choice. Call me a thief or call me a liberator, but you _will_ be a leader, not a ruler. You will know what your duties are and you will do them. You don't go back on this and you'll be as good a king as Hydros was. Promise me." The smile returned to his face, the twinkle to his eyes. "And I won't bother you about wearing the crown."_

Almost immediately the heavy band of gold was off Picard's head and in his hands.

Lunpa laughed. "Can I take that as your oath?"

"On my Psynergy, on my love of my Element."

"Alright then," Lunpa said, clapping his hands together. "Now that that's out of the way, let's pay a visit to the tailor." He stood and eyed Picard. "Erm, maybe I should go and bring him here."

Picard let out a weak laugh. "Thank you." The thanks was more for the "favor" Lunpa had asked of him than the favor he was offering. It calmed him, as Lunpa had doubtlessly known it would. King Hydros had made a very good choice in Lunpa as an advisor.

Attempting to lighten the mood even further, Lunpa bowed deeply with a flourish. "King Piers, it is my honor. Besides, in his Majesty's current state of dress, he would fall flat on his face before his Majesty went half-way."

King Piers! This was King Piers! That made a great deal of sense. Well, as much sense things in this situation could make. It was_ his crystal and this was undoubtedly a memory of his. That meant the crystals probably stored memories instead of Psynergy, a handy thing for a long-lived Lemurian to have. Hopefully, at the end of this particular memory, he'd be let out._

"Speaking of states of dress, I wonder if there's any protocol for an Advisor."

Lunpa looked at him with an expression of mock-horror before laughing and setting off. A moment later he returned. "That is_ a joke, is it not?"_

Adrian found himself to be staring at the shelf of crystals again. So his theory _had_ been correct. But how much time had passed? The caline was still where he had placed it, but who knew how long it could've been sitting there; calines were rather odd creatures.

He checked the clock and it seemed only a moment had passed, not even a minute since when he had last looked at it. Well then. It looked like he had found his information source.

………

Mia was innerly fuming to the point where a Mars Adept would be jealous. She didn't know what to expect from Alex, but silence wasn't it. He should…he should say _something_ at the very least!

'Mia…?'

'I'll be alright.' _I need to calm myself. I've never held a lasting grudge in my life; doing it in death would be highly ironic._

Such a long time ago, she had been able to let it… to let Alex go… He was dead; in hating him, she would only hurt herself. It had taken her a while, but she had done it. Not forgiven him, but accepted who he had chosen to be. Accepted, not liked.

Not loved.

But he should still say something! Try to explain himself or ask for forgiveness or _something!_ She couldn't say why she wanted him to reach out so she could lash back. Well… actually…

She wanted… revenge, plain and simple. It went completely against her character, but she wanted revenge. She had hurt… so much. It was unfair that he didn't.

Mia had always thought that vengeance was just for people like Karst. It wasn't.

'Mia?' May was concerned and worried, but most of all she was picking up on how Mia felt, just as Mia was picking up on May.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" she demanded, stopping and looking back at the man following her. She didn't know if it was possible to sound emotionless and furious at the same time, but if it was, then she had.

He looked at her, considering his words, turning Xander's face into an icy mask. Everything he did was deliberate; that was why his actions brought no much pain, making it impossible for the wounds he gave to be accidental, making them hurt so much more.

She turned away and resumed her walking, sure he'd fail to reply. Hopping along at her side, Echo started echoing music softly, presumably bored. Too softly; she couldn't make out the lyrics, meaning Echo could be trying to make some sort of a point while being too afraid to speak up.

Just as Alex was.

"Mia."

Or maybe not. She stopped and turned around to face him.

He stood straight, his posture over-riding Xander's almost permeate slouch. As well as sounding emotionless, he looked expressionless, an oddity for him. He _always_ had an expression, anything from a glower to a smile, even just a slight tilt of his head or the tiniest raising of an eyebrow. But no; there was no expression.

"There is nothing I can say that you will accept."

………

"Now I think I know what you tried to say to me,

How you suffered for your sanity,

How you tried to set them free.

They would not listen, they're not listening still.

Perhaps they never will."

__

A nice song, Echo thought. _And rather fitting._ Creepishly so. The Djinni could still remember a night at the inn in Alhafra, after he had helped three of his favorite Adepts defeat Briggs and his crew.

Alex had approved. He had been reminded of Mia and had sounded nearly… sorrowful. No, not nearly. He had been.

He wondered what the odds were that Xander would let him poke around in his head. A peek in Alex's mind could prove to be _very_ interesting.

May cast him a glance, most likely wondering what the reason for the background music was. Ok, _fine_, not much would actually be accomplished by him just playing a song so softly that it could barely be heard, but it might do something on an unconscious level. Truth be told, if something besides annoyance came of this, he'd be surprised.

The Djinni got an idea. Just because it wasn't likely didn't mean that he couldn't try. Oh, tonight would be _fun_!

It took great restraint, but Echo refrained from humming "Match-maker, Match-maker."

………

"You'll be alright. I'll get there a little over an hour and a half after you," Mr. Hame recited for the umpteenth time, more for his own comfort than Evan's. "Don't leave until I get there."

When they had picked out the tickets, it had quickly become clear: go the last leg separately or wait a year. Evan had made it clear what he thought of the second option. Still, his father must've _really_ felt guilty for all the moves; there was only a _very_ small chance that they'd be going otherwise. But it wasn't as if this was Evan's first time on a plane without his dad.

Evan nodded in the appropriate spots, clamping his jaws shut in defense against yawns. Oh, time zones; what fun!

The call for passengers to get onboard sounded. "Bye, Dad!" Evan said, slinging his backpack over a shoulder. His father looked like he wanted to say something else, nervously toying with his moustache, but ended up giving him a simple, "See you in a few hours."

Just a few hours. As in nine or so. _Enough time to get a full night's rest_, he thought, glad to have the ability of sleeping in a chair that was "in the full up-right position".

With one last glance over his shoulder, Evan walked through the gate, a nervous grin appearing on his face. In just a few hours, he'd meet his sister.

………

"Doesn't anyone else find this odd?" Ian asked, looking at the three river-like flows of sand.

__

Yeah, thought Gary_. Why'd it take you so long to realize it?_ Exhausted from nerves, Gary was no longer feeling up to making comments out loud. Being ignored and dragged along wasn't what he thought he'd be doing but _someone_ had to keep tabs on them.

"In the first room with the sand, I thought it was a fluke that the sand was still going there, but here…"

"I thought it was odd," Satornil commented, his ears twitching in a way human ears shouldn't. "When we came we had to run all around this place to get every set up so we could get through." Makrina nodded in agreement.

"That doesn't make sense…" Ian mumbled to himself.

__

None of this does.

The Russians glared at Ian.

"Uh, no, Isaac didn't mean that…" Ian hurriedly clarified, if it could be called clarifying. "It's just that he and the others had to do the same thing. And if you had already gotten the sand flows going, why did he have to too? And why not now?"

"Hey, guys! Want us to leave you behind?" shouted Math who had already gotten to the stairs along with the Lemurians, Jen, and Sheena. Or was her name Sheba? They seemed to be calling her both.

__

Yet another "possessed" person, most likely.

"Coming!"

A staircase, a hallway and another staircase later, the group found themselves in a room with the tree mosaic and a hole. This hole was different; it had a slide as though a person was expected to jump down. Who'd be nuts enough to do that?

"Me first!" Jen cried and slid down.

"Jen!" Gary made to dash forward, but a hand clamped down on his out-stretched arm.

"Calm down, Gary," Matthew told him as Crade jumped down. "She's alright."

All of his pent up fear and frustration came out. "You're _insane_! All of you! Magic isn't real!" The "teleporting" could be explained somehow, he just knew it! "That guy can't be thousands of years old!"

He continued on for a while before he ran out of breath. His outburst left him emotionally drained and gave him a sore throat. "It's just not possible," he croaked out.

With the Russians, Sheena, Crade, and Jen gone, it was up to Ian, Matthew and the Lemurians to try to argue with him. Though Matthew looked like he was about to, he released his grip on Gary's arm and spoke calmly instead, rather unlike himself. "Gary, it's alright. It doesn't have to make sense--"

"Yes, it--"

"No, it doesn't."

Gary could tell he was getting on Matthew's nerves. And so, like a child, he replied: "Yes it does."

Matthew's mouth worked and Ian took over. "Gar- Uh, Gary, does this room look familiar to you?"

"Yeah. All the last few rooms have had mosaics, too."

"Something else? Is this particular room familiar? Any of these rooms?"

Yeah, sort— No. No, they weren't. Not at _all_. Still, he couldn't help feeling that if he were to look over the edge of the hole, he'd see a floating thing of white-blue-green rock. He peeked.

And something slammed into his back, sending him over the side and down.

He landed heavily on the floating stepping-stone and flecks of blue light surrounded him, moving up. The stepping stone began to rise. Looking up, Gary saw a brown little creature and heard his cousin yell "Echo! You shouldn't--"

Gary never heard her finish her sentence; the next thing he knew, he was somehow outside and still rising. The wind whipped passed his face and the stone continued its assent. He frantically searched for something to hold onto and found nothing. Oddly, he felt no fear of falling off; he felt that if he were to get off it, it would be of his own choosing. Nonetheless, his heartbeat thundered in his ears.

He could see the top of the Lighthouse come into sight, far above and then closer. The stone drifted over the forest green platform of the elevator tower and he jumped off -

__

- following Isaac's lead. The four had barely gotten down when a familiar voice reached their ears.

"At long last, the time has come to light Venus Lighthouse's beacon."

The party turned to look at where a certain colorful pair stood. Garet blinked. They had Sheba with them! This was too good to be true; they could stop Saturos and Menardi and rescue Sheba all in one go!

"With the second beacon lit, only two will remain," Saturos added.

They watched and waited as Menardi shook her head. "No. Lighting Jupiter is virtually the same as lighting Mars."

Saturos seemed to consider this. "That is true. Jupiter is really all that remains."

What?! It doesn't matter that we have the Mars Star? That's it; we have to stop them _now_!_ Garet made to move, but Ivan stopped him with a touch on his arm._

'Wait. We don't know where Jenna and Kraden are. If we listen, they might reveal something.'

'Fine,' Garet thought back with a mental sigh. Still, he was slightly relieved to have the battle postponed, even just this small amount. But only slightly. It wasn't like he was afraid of the pair or anything.

"That's right," added a new voice, one Garet had half-forgotten and only recently remembered. "Your dreams are within your grasp now."

Saturos and Menardi turned around to face Felix as he climbed up the stairs. "Why are you still here, Felix?" Saturos asked.

"I thought I ordered you on ahead to the ship," Menardi said.

Felix nodded, almost apologetically "I've already sent Jenna and the others to the dock at Idejima."

'Idejima, Ivan!'

Ivan shook his head. 'Wait a little longer . . .'

'Why?' Garet asked before he felt the younger Adept's need to steel himself. 'Alright.'

"Then why did you come back?" Saturos inquired, clearly puzzled.

"Because I have a different promise to keep," Felix explained.

Menardi looked puzzled as well. "A promise you say? You must mean Sheba . . ."

"Yes, Sheba," Felix said as if it should be obvious. "Why haven't you released her yet? You promised to free her once you got into Venus Lighthouse."

Menardi smiled, perhaps from relief, perhaps from amusement. "And that's what brought you back here?"

"You promised not to involve anyone who wasn't related to this matter." Felix was sounding irritated.

Saturos looked to Sheba and, almost sadly, shook his head. "Sheba is special."

"Of course . . ." Felix said softly.

Saturos turned back to him, his ears moving.

"Because Sheba is a special Adept?" Felix let out in a rush.

Both of the Mars Adepts paused, as if this wasn't what they thought he would say.

"You guys learned something from the first two Lighthouses," Felix continued.

"And what would that be?" Menardi asked as the wind changed direction and blew at Garet's back and towards the four around the beacon.

"In order to enter each Lighthouse, you needed an Adept of the clan." Both Saturos and Menardi gave a slight jump, but Felix paid it no heed. "Right now, we have Fire, Earth, and Water Adepts, but no Wind Adept."

"That does seem to be the case," Saturos admitted.

"Do we need Sheba to get into the Jupiter Lighthouse?"

"I'm sorry Felix," Menardi apologized, "but we cannot even enter without a Wind Adept."

"That being the case, I guess I understand why you can't set Sheba free."

Saturos nodded. "It seems that you, too, have learned something. If that is all then you should go, Felix!" His last words seemed to hold a note of urgency.

Garet had the oddest feeling that the pair knew his party was there. No, they couldn't; they hadn't so much as looked_ in their direction._

Felix shook his head. "No. I cannot leave Sheba behind!" Felix stepped in front of said girl. "I'm taking Sheba to the ship!"

"What are you talking about, Felix?" Menardi asked incredulously.

"We don't know what will happen when you light this beacon. I won't leave Sheba here to find out!"

"We told you that we'd protect Sheba. Don't you trust us?" Had the blue man been anyone else, Garet would've said he sounded hurt.

"That's not what I'm saying . . . It's just best to be safe."

"Don't tell us what's best, Felix. You're not taking Sheba."

"Why not?" Felix asked Menardi. "What? You don't trust me?"

"How can we, after you just demanded we free Sheba?"

"Had we trusted you a moment ago, Sheba would be free now," Menardi added.

With each word, Felix's face grew more and more incredulous. Finally, he angrily turned to Sheba. "Come with me, Sheba! I shall protect you!"

To this Sheba had no reply and Saturos responded instead. "Are you ready to do this, even though it means fighting us?"

Felix quickly turned around, his expression disbelieving and frightened.

". . . I believe he is! He would not have defied us if he lacked the will to fight."

Though he still looked confused, Felix's expression grew determined. "If it means protecting Sheba from harm, then I must."

His determination turned into panic with Saturos' next words. "You have seen what we can do. You know you can't stop us."

"How can you protect Sheba when you can't even protect yourself?"

"This rebellious attitude is exactly why we've never let you fight."

"Haven't you been given enough reason to fear us in these travels?"

Garet saw Felix took a step back at this. It seemed there were_ enough reasons for fear._

"You're no fighter, Felix. How can you hope to stand against us?"

"You've questioned us for the last time! Let's see what you can do!" Menardi declared.

"It looks like they're having a falling out over Sheba," Garet commented to the others

"There's something more to it, though . . ." Mia muttered.

Ivan nodded. "It seems Saturos and Menardi no longer trust Felix."

And if they didn't trust each other . . . "Looks like the prefect opportunity has just fallen into our laps! Now's our only chance to prevent them from lighting the beacon."

Isaac nodded.

"There's not a moment to spare! Let's move!" Before they actually do kill Felix!

__

A quick three hops and two purple-tinted staircases later, the foursome stood behind Saturos.

Felix jumped. "Isaac . . ."

"So! You've come to stop us?" Garet had a feeling Saturos didn't expect an answer.

"Look what your defiance has brought us, Felix!" Menardi said, her ears moving rapidly.

Felix blinked as if he had just realized something and yelled, "I don't need you or anyone to rescue me, Isaac! I was just about to settle things with Saturos and Menardi . . . You can watch!" He turned to the beacon, glancing at Menardi. "And then we'll show you the true power of this beacon's light! But . . . Sheba has nothing to do with this! So set Sheba free!"

Saturos spun about to face him. "Silence! You'd best tread lightly, Felix, or both you and Sheba with suffer!"

At this Mia panicked. "If anything happens to Sheba, we will have failed Faran . . ."

Next to her, Ivan declared, "We won't permit you to lay a hand on Sheba or Felix!"

"Oh ho!" Menardi turned around, a victorious look on her face. "So you're worried about Sheba, too?"

Saturos turned around as well, a sly grin creeping across his face. "Don't worry. We won't hurt Sheba . . . if you meet our conditions."

Garet suddenly had the feeling this had been planned, despite how Menardi said, "What are you doing –

- Gary?" Makrina asked.

Gary stumbled back from the two Russians, his heart in his throat, his hand instinctually reaching toward his belt . . .

He shook his head. What was he thinking? He didn't even wear a belt!

Before he could focus himself, words he had no intention of saying issued forth from his mouth. "You- you two are dead!"

"_Now_ he gets it," Satornil said. No, that was Saturos. But why would Saturos, a _dead _person, be calmly talking to him, one of his killers?

"What in the name of the Elements is going on?"

………

Alex hung back from the others, trying to avoid attention as much as possible. What that Venus Djinni had done had stirred things up slightly, but he for one thought it a good idea. The way that idiot had been acting, there was no other way to get him to go. Why they were _all_ going to the Aerie escaped him; all they need was one person up there.

"Xander, are you well now?"

Alex turned to face Picard, a mix of fury and distaste welling up inside of him. _You take my place and you lie about me. Now you ask, quite pointedly, for the condition of my other and only my other. _Before he had a chance to say this, May/Mia stepped in.

"No, he's still gone. Alex is back, though."

"Perhaps if we were to go far enough away from the Lighthouse, he'd return."

"I hope so, Picard." May's voice betrayed her fear.

Stifling his impulse to comfort the distraught girl, Alex went to the edge of the hole he'd be jumping down momentarily. "Shouldn't we regroup with the others?" All three Lemurians and Mia turned to look/glare at him. "I have the feeling that we might find something about Xander's disappearance up there." This was met only by silence. "I am the closest thing you have to a Xander-detector, am I not?"

Not waiting for a reply, he jumped down.

He'd never been to the top of this Lighthouse. The mere thought sent a shiver down his spine. A new place . . . Maybe, he allowed himself to hope. Maybe.

All such thoughts were squished as he reached the top. It was rather like Mercury Lighthouse, only a different color and the statues were holding branches. A pity . . . But then, wasn't everything?

"Hey, Xander! Took you long enough!"

That boy Matthew seemed to have bonded with Alex's incarnation despite the warnings Felix had to be giving. He was reminded of how Felix had quickly trusted him; it seemed certain personality traits didn't fade.

Alex shook his head. "Xander hasn't returned yet."

Matthew's face darkened, Felix taking over. "Do you know why?"

Once again, he shook his head. Looking around, he noticed Ian and Gary talking, Gary sometimes shouting or talking loudly. The Proxans were on the stairs with Sheba, well away from the beacon and the sides of the Lighthouse. Dr. Crade inspected a statue close by. A quick glance back to Felix proved the Venus Adept was continuing to stare at him, observing his mannerisms in hopes to find out if he were lying. Felix gave up, and Matthew returned. "It looks like Garet's come back; Isaac's filling him in."

A cold nod.

Before the boy could give another attempt at conversation, the other Water Adepts began arriving, Mia first, followed by Andrew, Picard and Oliver, in that order.

Echo flew over and perched himself on Matthew's shoulder. "Let's fire it up!" it exclaimed, receiving a few nods of agreement.

Soon enough, the entire party was assembled before the beacon(, though a certain pair keeping a respectable distance). The lighting was always and would always be an impressive event. The great display of light, the awe it inspired, the rush of Psynergy through an Adept's very core of being; _that_ was an event even Alex could appreciate.

"Everyone grab onto something," Jenna said half-jokingly as the Venus Adepts were about to do the honors.

Matthew rolled his eyes and Felix ignored her, saying, "Ready, Isaac?"

"Ready. On three."

"Three!"

Alex had to shield his eyes with his arm against the blinding light. The Psynergy, however, would not allow itself to be blocked out. He was trickling down stone, wearing a hole in it. He was sinking through sand, sucked up the roots of a plant.

Through closed lids, it was clear the light had died down, though it still glowed brightly. He opened his eyes and gazed upon the physical form of Venus Psynergy. Not as amazing as that of Mercury of course, but it was still--

'Alex!'

"Xander!" he exclaimed, speaking aloud in his shock and looking about as if he'd see him. Mentally, he asked, 'Xander, are you there?'

No reply.

'Xander?'

The other's looked at him questioningly. "Has he come back?" May asked hopefully.

Unsure, Alex shrugged and continued looking about. As his gaze swept over the sphere of Psynergy, Xander's mental voice once again rang in his head. 'Alex, stop!'

'Stop what?'

'Looking around. Keep your, uh, my eyes on the ball. Don't even blink unless you have to.' This commanding tone ill-suited Xander's personality.

'Why?'

'It's letting us talk.'

'What's "it"? The sphere?'

Xander sent him the answer in a flurry of mental images and recent memories. 'Now there's something I need you to tell Picard. So listen very, very carefully.'


	21. to present day Venus Lighthouse problems

Avari, wind seer: Thank you! And since I'm not exactly sure on how you took it, I want you to know that was I wasn't be sarcastic or anything about the "finder of typos" thing; I really do appreciate you pointing these out. (This is probably overkill, but I'd rather be too polite than accidentally rude.)

TemplarofNi: Ah, the plotbunnies. Sorry, but don't think it's happening.

Alexditto: Sorry, but you're off by two. As for the phrase, the "younger Adept's need to steel himself", as a verb, the word "steel" means something around the lines of "to strengthen/make hard". Ivan was nervous so he had to harden his will.

Also, Adrian is good. I'm sorry if I wasn't too clear about that.

Freek: Well, the memory crystals have a double purpose: the pair of senators need a source of info and there are a few scenes from KPP's past that I just have to include somehow.

****

End of Response Section

My little fic is a year old today. Is it weird that I'm so proud? It's kind of strange to think thatI met some of you a year and twenty chapters ago. Thanks for sticking around.

Anyway, sorry for the long wait. I was busy learning some things in October such as: 1) October hates me, 2) putting streamers on a railing is a bad idea and 3) the average person has about six pounds of skin.

On a less random note, it looks like I'm not going to be able to update for possibly the rest of November thanks to NaNoWriMo. Taking the time I needed to finish this chapter up might have set me back a ways on my word count.

****

Disclaimer: Rallalon does not own Golden Sun or any of its characters, items or locations. Nor does she own nodding, pale-ness, indexes, gloves, boots, mukluks, running shoes, tea or peripheral vision.

:**Begin!**:

"And why should I believe you?" Picard asked. What the other Mercury Adept was saying was ridiculous!

"Because there's an Adept among us who can tell if I am lying," Alex countered. "Sheba, am I?" He offered his hand.

Picard watched the Jupiter Adept place her hand atop of his, weakly sending out her senses through the physical contact. "Xander has spoken with you. He believes that is what Picard must do." She shook Sheena's head apologetically and turned to the Lemurian, removing her hand. "I'm sorry, Picard, but that's all I can determine." Her face looked pale and her breathing was heavy; the Lighthouse was taking its toll on her.

"You should sit down, Sheba," he told her gently before directing his question at Alex in a very different tone. "And has he said why I must do this?"

Alex looked away, at the sphere of Psynergy. "He? It cannot be expressed in words. It? wants to?" Alex waved his hand slightly, searching for the proper term. "It wants to test you."

Picard looked to Sheba. She nodded, still able to tell a spoken truth from a lie without direct contact: Alex believed what he was saying.

Now it was May's and Mia's turn to ask questions of him. "Why hasn't he returned yet? If he can talk to you? Why hasn't he returned?"

Once again, Alex looked to the sphere. "It took Xander because?" His face twisted into a glower as he continued, "because he can be trusted. Once he fulfills his purpose, he'll be released."

"And what is that purpose?" The combination of Gary's interrogation skills and Garet's great dislike of the Mercury Adept might become rather effective, Picard realized. If Gary didn't go insane first, that was. He seemed to be using this opportunity to deny the fact that Garet had come to take up residence inside of him.

Another glance. "To serve as a communication link."

"Between what? What's the 'it' you keep referring to?" Gary demanded.

"The Lighthouse. Between the Lemurian and the Lighthouse of course," Alex stated, as if this should all be painfully obvious.

"And if I chose not to do what you ask?" Picard asked, not believing a word of it despite Sheba's nod. Just because Alex believed it didn't make it true.

The elevators on both sides of the Lighthouse dropped simultaneously. "Then we don't leave. Then Xander doesn't come back."

:**elsewhere**:

Picking at random was by no means the best way to select the crystal that held the right information. Unfortunately for Adrian Murray, that was the only way he had.

"Why couldn't they just be books?" He muttered to himself and the caline currently sitting on his foot. "Carefully numbered and dated books? With an index?" But perhaps there was an order to this, one that he simply had to find. Knowing just one memory from one crystal wasn't going to help him much in that case.

"Here I go. . ." he whispered to the animal, his hand tentatively out-stretched. "I'm going to pick one . . ." he continued, his gaze going back between the shelf and the caline as if the creature would give him some sort of advice.

"This one?"

No reaction.

"How about. . . this one?"

No reaction.

Adrian could fully admit to himself that he was stalling; experiencing something from inside another's body was _frightening!_

"This?"

The caline looked up at him and blinked.

Taking a deep, almost-steadying breath ?

__

? Picard studied his . . . guest over the rim of his teacup. Even now, the other's looks set him apart, the remainder of his gray hair tinged a yellow-white instead of silver-blue. Hard eyes scrutinized Picard behind wooden-framed glasses. Lord Conservato clearly waited for him to make the first move as the pair sipped the hot liquid quietly in otherwise complete silence. Picard's new apartments had never felt so uncomforting.

Ten minutes pervious, the older man had shown up at his door, greeting him with a nod and a "Piers". Picard had blinked, nodded, said "Conservato" and invited the man in before he had fully comprehended the situation. Once he did get somewhat of an idea of what he was getting himself into, he invited the other to "Please, sit down" and brought out the tea in record time thanks to Ember.

And so, here they were, Picard fighting the urge to fidget and Conservato acting as if he had all the time in the world. Without his headdress, he felt almost naked, not the best feeling when dealing with this man.

"What brings you here this fine day?" Conversational tone, not too familiar, not rude. A fair start so far. It also put the pressure on Conservato to say something.

"A need to speak with you," he answered. "You know where I stood when King Hydros ? may he be reborn into happiness ? proclaimed you his heir."

"I do," Picard agreed stiffly.

"You were not ready. You were bold and welcomed not only the benefits of change, but the risks of it, with open arms."

Picard was severely tempted to say "It worked out" in his defense, but realized that sounded fairly childish. He decided upon "And I have learned from that" instead.

"All of Lemuria had better hope so." Adrian wondered what the man was up to even as Picard did; was this Conservato trying to pull intimidation tactics on a king_? "You may have been able to do whatever you wished in the past, but now . . ." Conservato paused for a sip of tea. "Now you are, whether any of us like or not, needed."_

This time a childish comment escaped his lips. "And saving the world didn't make me needed?"

"Saving the world"?

__

"With four other people, am I correct?"

"Eight. Or twelve, depending."

"And you will have . . . associates again. But the Senate cannot and will not always be able, or willing, to stand by your side. You will be tasked with passing judgment and settling disputes, an area that belongs solely to the king."

"I know this," Picard said softly, controlling his tone and facial expression with great difficulty. The man attacked him and reminded him of his higher position in one breath; what was he aiming at?

"Are you ready for it?"

Picard gave him a level look. "Do you believe I am?"

Conservato took a very long, stretched out drink from his cup, obviously testing to see if Picard would squirm. Picard made sure the other man was disappointed, staying still in a calm, not tense, manner.

"I believe . . . that King Hydros ? may he be reborn into happiness ? might not have been altogether wrong."

That had to be the closest thing to praise Picard had ever heard Conservito mutter. He studied the other man for any sign of mockery in this comment. This was, after all, the man who had always been against him, who had gone so far as to support ? more than support ? his banishment. The mere thought_ of this man usually set him on edge; he was sure it went the other way as well. Surely Conservito didn't mean it and had some sinister twist behind it._

If there was, he didn't find it.

"King Hydros ? may he be reborn into happiness ? was a wise man," Picard replied, acknowledging neither possibility of insult or compliment in the other's words.

"At times." Picard gave a start at this, and Conservito continued, "As are we all."

"True." Emboldened by the way the conversation was going, Picard stretched out a metaphorical hand. The notion of working with, or even being advised by, Lord Conservito no longer seemed so appalling. "For instance, at this very moment I find that I am not aware of what should be a very obvious piece of information. Lord Conservito, what is your first name?"

Conservito gave him a long, hard look. His expression was unreadable, capable of becoming either smile or frown. "Alabaster."

The memory abruptly ended.

Startled and disoriented, Adrian hurriedly caught himself before he had gone so far as to fall on the floor, his hand gripping the wooden side of the bookcase. It was a very unnerving business peeking around in someone's memory; it was even worse when one went from sitting to standing with no transition.

But what of that sudden end? Had King Piers forgotten what had happened afterwards or had he decided not to include it? Either could be bad for his cause; if the information he sought wasn't there . . .

However, he had learned some things. 1) King Piers had saved the world a) with eight or twelve people b) before he had become king. Less importantly, 2) there had been a Conservito with a rock name; it went without saying that the implications didn't favor the man. The second was, as far as Adrian could tell, completely unrelated to what he wanted to know while the first gave him a frame of reference. So far, the crystals had shown him events from the beginning of King Piers' reign; he now knew the best bet would be before then.

The problem was, he had no way to determine when the memory took place before he was living in it. And once that happened, there was no getting out until it ended.

__

The one time I actually want to do something quickly . . .

:**elsewhere**:

Dr. Crade studied the beacon of Venus Lighthouse as he had studied the other. Alex had claimed Xander's consciousness was inside of it, but there didn't seem any other way to prove it, besides Alex's word. The scientist in him was fascinated with the predicament as he wondered whether he'd be able to communicate with it as he had done with Mercury Lighthouse. But at the moment, he was having trouble just communicating with his companions. Once Alex had claimed that he was unable to Warp in his current separated state, his loss of the knowledge of the English language had rapidly become more and more obvious. How easy this would be if he could just reach his past self! It would be _fascinating_! Still, there were alternatives.

"Matthew? If I may borrow Echo?"

The expression on Matthew's face was amused and enthusiastic(an effect from the Lighthouse, Crade assumed), but not Matthew's. Echo replied on his own from his bouncing on the top of the boy's head, saying, "You can't _borrow_ me."

"Forgive me. I meant to ask if you'd translate for me. I must be getting old and senile or some such thing."

Echo let out a sound that could possibly qualify as a laugh and hopped to Crade's shoulder moving more than necessary the whole way. Crade had a feeling the already . . . spirited Djinni was going to get much more . . . spirited.

"What could it hurt to try?" he heard Alex ask, translated by the Djinn. By his body movements and tone, the man's nerves were fraying.

"You try it," Menardi snapped back. "Let's see how eager you are to do it again."

"_You_ weren't the one I was addressing. Besides," he added in an off-hand manner, "it already happened."

"You touched the sphere?" she incredulously asked. "Without any of us noticing?"

Slightly distracted by the presence of a large ball of Psynergy floating next to him, Crade tuned them out and peered closer, but not too close, at the yellow orb. _Is building really sentient? What could it want to say to Picard?_

He blinked. For a moment, he had thought he'd seen a . . . possibly a glove, or a picture of one flash across the orb. _Is it trying to talk with me? And reading my thoughts?_ While he did think that the results at Mercury Lighthouse were mostly a fluke, there was a slim chance ?

The orb . . . nodded. At least that's what it looked like to him. The outer swirls kept going in the same direction, but he could've sworn the inner part had . . . well, nodded.

He cleared his throat and spoke, paying no mind to the other's conversations. "Hello. Can you hear me?"

"Pops, who're you talking . . . to . . ." Matthew trailed off as he too saw the orb "nod". "That's creepy . . ."

Even facing the orb, Crade could feel the eyes of the others directed his way.

"What just happened?" May(?) asked.

"Wait a sec," Ian replied.

Crade tried his best to ignore them and asked, "What do you want Picard to do?"

The picture was back.

"A glove?" Oliver asked.

"Looks like it," Jen(?) said.

"No." This time Crade was sure it was Felix talking; He knew Matthew well enough to tell the difference. "It's a gauntlet."

The orb "nodded" and brought up the image of a pair of boots.

"We're playing charades with an inanimate . . . with a _building_. Am I the only one finding this weird and . . . and weird?"

Gary was met with a chorus of "No" in several languages before a round of confused guessing began.

"A boot."

"A pair of boots?"

"Riding boots?"

"A pair of shoes."

"Mukluks."

"_Mukluks?_"

"Why not?"

"Running shoes?"

The orb "nodded" slightly.

"A gauntlet and running shoes?"

It shook no.

"Gauntlet."

Yes.

"Shoe."

No.

"Running shoe."

Yes.

"Running."

Yes.

"A running gauntlet?"

No.

"Running a gauntlet," Alex said coolly.

Yes.

"It's exactly as I told you," the Mercury Adept continued as the gazes of the others came to rest upon him. "The Lighthouse wants to test the Lemurian."

Gary, or Garet, asked the obvious question. "Why?"

"You think I know?" Alex's voice was taking on an exasperated edge. "All that Xander's told me, I've told you. If you want to leave or get him back, the Lemurian must do this."

"I shall do it."

"Andrew," Picard began before switching to Lemurian, "I will not risk you."

"And I would resist risking you, milord." Andrew's gaze flickered to Oliver for a moment. Realizing what he was implying, the man shook himself and stated, half-pleading, "The king of Lemuria cannot be placed in jeopardy."

"And I will not risk myself; I have a daughter to care for." Obviously, Oliver had caught Andrew looking in his direction. "That leaves us with Andrew, if you'd allow him, Picard. He's not a boy anymore."

"If your daughter were a woman, Oliver, would you risk her?"

Andrew stared at Picard, his expression a mixture of amazement, admiration, and . . . love. It was nearly enough to make Crade wish he _had_ gotten married oh-so-long-ago.

"If you're discussing which of the three of you are to go, you should know it has to be Picard," Alex stated, making Crade realize he had been listening in on a private conversation with Echo's help. Alex glanced back at the orb for confirmation. "It asks for . . . 'the Mariner King'."

"What did you say?" Picard asked.

"'The Mariner King'. You've heard it before?" Something in Alex tone made the question more of a statement.

Picard looked at the orb as he nodded slightly. Finally, he said reluctantly, "I'll do it."

Satornil sighed and took off his belt.

:**elsewhere**:

He felt like tea. That was the only ? though probably not best ? way to describe it, but he felt like tea. Not like the bottled iced tea that a person buys from a vending machine at twice the proper amount, but like water that has had various herbs stirred into it.

Herbs that had come along with a fair amount of dirt.

It was an odd feeling, one that a human wouldn't normally even conceive of; what sane person would like of being tea? Come to think of it, perhaps he wasn't sane anymore: he _did_ feel like tea. A psynergetic tea, in fact. And the plant part of the tea talked to him, told him what it wanted . . . He was going insane . . .

'Xander.'

'Alex?' he replied hopefully. It was hard to remain focused on anything, drifting about through all of this Venus Psynergy. He knew enough to know that Mars would be worse, but at the moment, he couldn't imagine it. Mercury Lighthouse had been such a wonderful rush in comparison: why couldn't he have appreciated it?

'The Lemurian has agreed. You'll be out soon.' This said, Alex began to pull away.

'Wait!' he yelled, panicked. He didn't want to be left again! 'Don't leave me alone! Anything but that! I want to Warp out of here! I'm _not_ tea!'

Xander felt the man's confusion but was relieved to find curiosity and an amount of concern as well. He wouldn't be left to drift alone.

'What is it?' Alex asked him calmly, as if Xander hadn't just freaked out.

Too relieved and comforted by the knowledge that Alex would stay, Xander was beyond feeling embarrassed by his outburst. 'I want to know what's going on.'

'You realize I can only communicate with you when I look at the sphere.'

'You realize that there's such a thing as peripheral vision?'

There was a pause, and for a moment, Xander was positive he had offended the man, meaning Alex would leave, meaning he'd be alone for a long time, meaning he would go insane . . .

'Picard is getting ready to join you. Saturos, Crade and . . . Garet have fastened belts onto him to stop him from falling in.'

__

They shouldn't do that.

'They shouldn't do that,' Xander echoed.

'What for?'

'I . . . I don't know, okay? It just doesn't want them to do that.'

'Could you asked it why that is?'

'Tell them,' Xander ordered, surprising the other. He wanted to get out _now_. He didn't care that the Lighthouse was taking pains not to hurt him Psynergetically; it was doing enough damage mentally and emotionally. People were meant to be, well, people, not minds floating about without a physical body.

'They won't.'

'Why the hell not?!'

'Xander,' Alex answered, his voice taking on an edge that was more than slightly bitter, 'I'll ask you a simple question: who in their right mind would trust _me_ if I were to tell them to do something that might kill, or at least harm, a person who I _greatly_ _dislike_?'

'I would.'

:**elsewhere**:

Someone trusted him. Now that was an odd feeling, being trusted and being unwilling to betray. _The bonds of Warping_, he assumed and resumed his efforts to carry out what Xander had asked of him. "Take those off!" he ordered.

"Once again, Alex," Picard said, "why?"

"I don't know. It's what Xander says the Lighthouse wants."

Picard gave him a curious look, a blend of suspicion and pity, as he rechecked the loops of leather around his waist and chest, a makeshift harness. A few quick glances to the others showed a few of them with a similar expression. Suspicion, he understood, but why pity?

The answer hit him almost immediately: they thought he was insane. At the very least, they didn't think he had his wits about himself. And if that was truly the case, he would have an even harder time convincing them. Then there was how he had enough sense to know that trying to remove the belts physically would be a bad idea.

'Xander. I can't stop him.'

'I . . . I think that's alright. It'll just have to. . . pull harder?'

'Pull harder?' Alex repeated, watching Picard glance back over his shoulder at him or, more likely, the threesome holding onto the "rope" to his harness while raising his hand towards the sphere. Xander seemed slightly confused about what he was saying, but if that was actually it . . .

'I think so,' Xander said as Alex heard a gasp. 'Wait . . . Picard's coming.'

His attention brought back to watching what was going on in front of him, Alex blinked. The Lemurian had gone completely limp, held up only by the harness and his arm that was being pulled into the sphere. It wasn't long before the leather tethers of his harness were being pulled at, those holding refusing to let go. Alex had the strange feeling that Picard was experiencing what he had after trying to Warp through that barrier, only stronger now that the Lighthouse was lit.

The position the other man was in looked rather painful, Alex decided and then watched as the Lemurian was pulled in further, his feet no longer touching the Aerie floor, pulling the three holding onto the tethers with some difficulty.

One of the other Lemurians, the youngest, grabbed onto the tether Crade was holding, muttering something, presumably curses, in Lemurian. Wondering how the other was reacting, Alex turned to find that he had looked away, his face pale underneath the hand covering his eyes.

'Tell them to stop,' Xander said. 'They're only hurting him.'

Alex never had a chance to do so as the tethers were abruptly yanked out of their holders' hands. Picard's body fully dropped over the edge, out of reach, held up solely by his arm.

'I don't think _they_'re doing it anymore.'

The Lemurian was slowly drawn in, his arm swallowed up first, followed by his shoulder, head, and the rest of his upper body. Finally, the last that could be seen of him was, somewhat ironically, his boots before even they disappeared into the sphere.

There was a moment of stunned silence from which Mia recovered first. At the very least, she was the one Alex noticed first.

__

Slap!

Alex recoiled, letting out a pained noise and resisting the urge to rub his cheek as Mia began furiously berating him. He tried not to pay too much attention to what she was saying as it included phrases along the lines of "Picard is dead because of you".

Hence it was a rather large surprise to both of them when he was rather forcefully stripped of the control over the body and sent to the back of his mind before the body decided to spontaneously hug a very angry Mia.

"Alex!" she shrieked at him.

"Xander!" was the gleeful reply.

Immediately, the hug was returned, presumably by May. 'I'm back!'

__

So much for having my own body, Alex thought loudly enough for Xander to pick up on it. The strange thing was that he couldn't tell if he meant it or not.

Once May released him, Xander moved himself about, ignoring what everyone else was saying. As he was in control, that meant Alex was too. 'I have _fingers_!' the boy told him gleefully, laughing aloud as he wiggled them in front of his eyes.

Alex refrained from commenting. Being trapped somewhere was bound to make an impact on a person. In this case, it meant Xander was downright giddy to have a body. It also meant Alex was wishing he wasn't sharing a body with him.

"Xander? What happened to Picard?" Felix asked.

Alex could feel the effort it took to restrain Xander's expression into one of seriousness. "I don't know."


	22. to present Venus Lighthouse revelations

Avari: **bashes head against wall** I hate the uploading issues. Hate them, hate them, hate them. But thanks for pointing them out along with the misspelling of Conservato's name.

Daidairo: My head just defied the square-cube theorem. Either that, or I'm dead and still capable of typing.

Freek: There's a fine line between magic and insanity.

MiraiEvo: I'd been looking forward to the flashback with Lunpa for a long time so I'm glad you liked it. And yes, there are WAY too many subplots; it's starting to be a bit of mental juggling.

Rozzlyn: First off, I must congratulate you on doing what I thought was impossible. You are now the Reviewer of the Longest Review, beating the former holder by total of three words.Well done.

Thank you. And I aim that more than one would think at your comment at Piers' relationship with Andrew and the comments on Oliver; I edited and edited, but they've never seemed to come out right. Your opinion _was_ very helpful and, at the least, very encouraging.

**End of Response Section**

I remember how way back, I jokingly said that if the pace slowed down, I wouldn't have this done before 2005. The pace slowed down. Eight days until 2005. I think I'll try for 2006 instead.

Anyway, as I doubt I'll update within the next eight days(though you never know; feel free to email me and tell me to get back on my lazy butt and start writing if it's been a week), I'll tell you now that I hope you enjoy the holidays or whatever time you've got off. And long live Santa Hats, the joy-giving headgear that promotes commercialism.

**Disclaimer: **Rallalon does not own Golden Sun, any of its characters, items or locations. Nor does she own couches, shelves, mats, puddles, lessons, cliffs, dirt or nonexistent voices. She does own the word "Caely" when it's used to refer to a caline.

:**begin**:

He'd been at this for days. Actually, the clock in the room told him it had only been a few hours, but he had lived through days. And days. And days.

And Adrian was getting rather sick of it. Currently, he was taking a break, seated on a couch, taking turns staring at the door hanging and the tapestry. Lemurian or not, there was only so many of these disorienting trips a person could make in a day. This was by far the weirdest thing he'd ever done and, once the small amount of novelty wore off, it gave him the most awkward sensation.

He was prying into his _king_'s memories. Prying into anyone's memories was rude, far too intimate, and . . . well, prying. Prying into the _king_'s memories was . . . undoubtedly worse.

"Crrreow."

Adrian reached down from his seat and gave the caline an absentminded pat before scratching it behind the ears. "I need to find some order to this, caely," he mumbled to the animal. "How does Picard, uh, Kings Piers know which has what? I should know the way he thinks by now . . . That's probably the reason why the lock's so hard to get past; otherwise the other Senators could . . ."

As he trailed off, his hand stopping its scratching, he became rather unsettling aware of the magnitude of what he'd done. He'd entered without permission before hitting onto something that could, and would if revealed, be, if not the completion, the furthering of King Piers' downfall.

And, after learning so much, the thought of that downfall gave him a new sort of dread to go along with the ones he had already had: a personal one. If so many glances made up a look, then he'd been staring long and hard at what made the king who he was, and he'd found he rather liked the man. He hadn't a clue as to what the king thought of him as of yet but that was beside the point. He would keep trying; King Piers deserved it.

Taking a long, controlled breath, he rose from his seat, telling himself that it was uncomfortable anyway. A few quick steps led him to the shelves. He held his hand out, nearly touching a crystal he was sure he hadn't "peeked in" before. Another breath. Another.

"Crreow. . ."

"I know, I know," he told the creature, his hand still hovering above the crystal.

"Admit it! You're one of the Champa, aren't-" 

At the sound of the strange, harsh voice, Adrian wheeled about and ducked, hiding behind the couch. Hearing nothing but the sound of a frightened caline scampering away, he peeked over the furniture.

No one was there.

_That was . . . peculiar._ An affect from too much contact with the crystals? He looked about again and noticed something else:_ Where'd Aquae's pet go?_ "Here, caely-caely-caely," Adrian called quietly before stopping. Talking loudly in these rooms was just . . . disrespectful. And, truth be told, having the caline with him was a comfort he go without for a few moments.

Yet another somewhat steadying breath.

Adrian straightened and inspected the crystal he'd had his hand over. Maybe . . . He put his hand back over it and tried to get close to it without touching. Nothing happened, besides how one of his fingers twitched.

"Crrrreow."

Twitch. Breathe.

"Admit it! You're-" 

Twitch and pull away. Breathe. Touch.

_The now somewhat familiar sensation of being in King Piers' body came over him once more and this time, the man was in clothes he was very comfortable, if unusually unclean, in. He was indoors, staring at wall that seemed to be made of dried something. It looked dirty. As did the floor that was only partially covered by something resembling a grass mat, even dirtier than the floor. __Adrian__ couldn't mesh his mental image of the king and this place. By the salt, _why_ would _anyone_ go to a place like this?_

_There was something new here, though. There was some emotion King Piers was feeling that was completely unlike anything __Adrian__ had ever felt from him. It was a ferocious rage, barely kept in check. And under this, to his complete disbelief, was a fierce panic._

_In the other memories, he had been angry, confused, thrown-off his guard in varying degrees or sorrow-filled. Never, not once, had he been this afraid, this terrified. This young or inexperienced._

"Admit it! You're a Champa, aren't you Piers?" That was what Adrian had heard before, the very same words and voice! 

_King, er, Mariner Piers shook, from rage or fear __Adrian__ couldn't determine._

_"Speak!" anther voice commanded. "Or let your silence condemn you!"_

_Piers shook his head and stated as calmly as he could, "I told you already . . . I'm not a Champa."_

_"Then where did you come from?" the second demanded, still using his harsh tone._

_Adrian__ recoiled mentally as the younger version of his king took a few steps to the center of his cell. That's was this place was: a jail cell. But why would King Piers be in a jail cell? _When he was innocent of what he was accused,_Adrian__ added mentally, knowing somehow that it was true. "The heart of the __Eastern__Sea__ . . . If I told you where, you'd never believe me." That, sadly, was the truth as well._

_This only fueled the man's already angry mood. "Look at me when I'm talking to you! Are you trying to mock me?!"_

_Adrian__ felt the . . . mariner frown as he was reminded of Conservato and the man's claims that he was not fit for what King Hydros wished of him. Conservato didn't think he could manage anything on his own. He'd show the lord that he didn't need help once he completed his quest!_

_Picard Piers turned about to face the brown-haired man, his grip on his temper slipping. How long had he been in here? How many cold nights spent sleeping fitfully on a poor excuse for a mat? How many times had he been over this? He _**wasn't**_ a Champa! Whatever it was. "I implore you," he said, still outwardly calm though his tone was not of one who begged, "do not anger me."_

_The brown-haired man smiled in a manner more than slightly unpleasant. "Oh, do you? So what's doing to happen if I make you angry?"_

_Before the not-yet-king could make a retort, the first man, black-haired and possibly a guard, turned to the angry one. "Hey, Shin . . . Maybe you should go easy on him . . ."_

_The angry man, Shin, turned to the guard and yelled a reply. "Hey, it wasn't _your_ girlfriend who got hurt!"_

_There was an opening here; an act of healing would bring gratitude. "I'm sorry she was injured, but I cannot-"_

_"I don't want your sympathy, freak!" Shin raged, glowering. "I want you to get angry for me!"_

-heal her unless you let me out!

_The feeling that coursed through the mariner was highly hostile. Neither of the two experiencing it liked it. "Stop, please . . . Even my patience has its limits."_

_"Hey," said Shin to the guard, "don't you want to see what he'll do?"_

_The guard had the good grace to look nervous. "I think we should just stop . . ."_

_What Shin would've done yet, the mariner didn't wait to find out. He had left his homeland and though it had been unwillingly and by complete accident, he was going to have left anyway. To help these people. Indirectly, of course, but to help them all the same! And only the elder thought him a good man, but could be moons in proving it! He would have offered healing to these people! How _dare_ this toddler of a man, _all_ the toddlers of this town, accuse him of piracy! _

_The mariner's gaze landed on Shin and the puddle he was standing, __Adrian__ burning with the other man's rage. "If my words will not cool your temper, then . . ."_ Frost_Adrian__ heard Piers mentally command the water under the fool's feet._

_A column up ice shot up from under the imbecile and knocked him over. The man promptly ran out of the jail, yelling something along the lines of: "_Waaaaaaaaaahh!_"_

_The guard looked to him fearfully, "Did you do that?"_

_". . . What did your friend expect?" Adrian was relieved when Picard closed his eyes, unable to stand the fright in the other's eyes._

_"You monster!"_

_Picard's eyes shot open. "I . . ." He hadn't meant to harm Shin. He hadn't, really; just frightened him. He- he'd deserved it, provoked him. "I am no monster."_

_His words did nothing to dissuade the guard's growing terror. "Help!!!" the man screamed and ran past a group of four._

What have I done?_ Picard asked himself, appalled. As the mariner grew steadily more horrified at his rash and harmful actions, __Adrian__ knew that this was not the same man he barely knew. Not yet. He would be, someday. But not yet. _

_The group approached. "Piers, wasn't it?" one of them asked conversationally, a cloaked one who both Piers and __Adrian__ assumed was the oldest by his gray hair. None of the group seemed to be afraid, but curious instead, of which he was grateful. It was reassuring, no matter how depressed the younger boy seemed._

_"Picard Piers, yes." He paused. "Ah . . . When will that kindly elder return and end my imprisonment?" he asked them. "I have no time to wait, but I don't want to have to hurt anyone. . ."_ Not that it stopped me with Shin . . .

The transition left Adrian disoriented as always. He shuddered and wished he could rid himself of the experience. Why would King Piers wish to save that . . . rage, terror and guilt? He had nauseated himself and yet he'd chosen to remember it, to hold on to how he had once been.

There was a lesson in that, if Adrian could bring himself to look. However, there was another thing he had learned from the experience. First, holding one's hand over a crystal long enough would allow a person to hear the words of a memory. Possibly, if he were to close his eyes, he would see it as well without fully entering the memory.

Second, King Piers had gone on a quest. This was more than likely part of the world-saving thing Alabaster Conservato had mentioned in another of the king's memories. Those he had met in the jail cell might well have been four of the . . . what, eight companions? It was a start. And he knew the voice of one them as well as the appearances of four at one point of their lives.

Though he was deeply shaken from his mental image of King Piers, he had never been surer that he was onto something.

:**elsewhere**:

What in the name of the Elements . . .

He was standing at the edge of a cliff, the salty spray and crashing roar of the ocean reaching him from down below. He knelt down and looked over, wondering way the water looked the way it did as his hands rested on the dirt-covered stone. The sea – his Psynergy told him it wasn't large enough to be an ocean – seemed weak and insubstantial, as if, in a way, it had become less dense in terms of both matter and Psynergy.

Or maybe the water was the same, but the rock different, sturdier, more solid. But why would either of water or rock be so? Or was he just imagining it?

No matter what the answer was, peering over the edge like this was making him dizzy. He got up carefully, rubbing his hands together to get some of the dirt off, only now realizing how precarious his position was. Leaning over a long drop like that with his back to a forest where any hostile creature or person could…

Forest?

He focused his full attention on the trees, his back now to the sea. Had those been there a moment ago?

Of course they had! They were _trees_; trees didn't just plant themselves down when a person's back was turned! He'd just been too confused to notice them before. That had to be it. But it was very quiet for a forest…

Where had the roar of the sea gone?

He turned back around and nearly fell over from shock, barely catching himself in time. The sea was gone. Just… gone. In the few moments he hadn't been looking, it had transformed into another forest, or another part of the forest. He realized his hands had touched grass and that he could tell that there was no longer bare dirt under his boots.

A frightening question occurred to him: _Why hadn't he felt the water go?_

Making himself remain calm, he focused on using his Psynergy. There was nothing. Nothing was there. He tried again, harder, still trying to fight back panic.

"_Be at ease, Mariner King, for there will be no lasting harm. It has been absorbed, but it will return to you_."

Startled once more, he turned around yet again. There was woman standing among the trees. He hadn't heard her approach and neither had he seen her when studying the trees, though he still had the impression that he'd seen her somewhere before. There was something wrong with her speech, as if she were but repeating sounds that held no meaning. Something was most wrong here.

"You speak of my Psynergy." Something told him that he needn't make it a question. "What has it been absorbed into? If it's gone, why aren't I dead?"

"_Moisture disappears into the sand, the droplets into the roots, hidden yet present_."

No, there was meaning there; he just couldn't find it. The words were as much of Psynergy as they were of sound waves, giving him an inexplicable feeling that he was only understanding a sliver of the message, the rest as beyond his grasp as the horizon. Her words did have meaning, but not as words, not as anything he could comprehend.

But who… The reason behind the familiarity abruptly came into the light. "Mirante Veinu." It shouldn't have taken him that long to realize. Who… what else would have greeted him here? "What has it been absorbed into?" he repeated, knowing the other's statement answered his second question.

There was no answer from Mirante Veinu besides a level gaze, telling him that answering was something she did not intend to do. Or had already done.

She chose to make a statement that he was sure wasn't an answer. "_Ye who seek to climb Venus Lighthouse, the lady knows your desires._" Yet again, the full message didn't come through.

Cryptic, as he had suspected it would be and would obviously be again. He asked anyway. "What do you mean?"

"_What do you fear, Mariner King?_"

Immediately, a mental shield went up and he blinked to find a watery wall separating him from the human version of the Lighthouse. A quick look proved the barrier was on all sides; his breath caught for an instant. Had he just . . . ? He hadn't used Psynergy, that was for sure . . .

"_What do you fear, Mariner King?_"

This was a Lighthouse, not a human and _definitely_ not anyone interested in Lemurian politics; being so, why would she . . . it ask?

Mirante Veinu waited for an answer.

The wall wavered and, hesitantly, went down. Half a moment of thought brought him back to a jail cell all those years ago. ". . . Small places. Being left alone."

_"Not all the isolated are unhappy, not all the surrounded content."_

"Loneliness, then," he corrected himself.

"_Mariner King, do you fear Death?_"

Blunt. Very . . . blunt. "Whose?" Andrew's, yes. Oliver's, yes. The Djinn, assuming they ever would, yes.

"_Your own,_" she asked the man who had lived too far beyond his years.

"No."

The ground vanished from under his feet, leaving him to plummet to unknown depths.

:**elsewhere**:

Gary sat down heavily on the Aerie floor, facing the floating platforms that led to the down-going elevator. He kept staring at them, trying to figure them out. The cold stone quickly chilled his rear, but he didn't stand. Anything to ignore it, _anything_. It hovered behind the edges of vision, giving him the feeling that a quick turn of the head would reveal the physical form of the presence. He refused to look just as he refused to hear the words aimed at him in another language, words he would understand the moment he wished it, words muted through his own will. It took conscious effort, but his breathing stayed regular.

"Ga- ah… Hey." Jen sat down next to him, pulling her right leg up to her chest, resting her arm on her raised knee. "So."

"Yep."

"Okay then."

Thankfully, Jen was distracted at the moment by her cousin ranting up on the level above them. Gary looked past her and up the stairs, listening.

"You two are staying **_away_ **from the beacon. _You_ are staying away from the edge. As am I. Absolutely **_no_ **falling, you hear me?" There was an edge to his tone that was more than slightly commanding or a tad bit paranoid. "And, _yes_, Menardi, I _am_ ordering you around. But **_no one_**, and I mean **_no one_**, is going to fall off. Understood?"

_Falling . . ._ Gary immediately stomped on that train of thought, not liking the memor- Not memories. **_Not_** memories.

He turned his gaze to his left, staring off the Lighthouse, feeling the chilly air blow past him. Somehow he knew he wouldn't be blown off despite how his only hold - if it could be called that - was his hands resting on the cold stone. Gary shuddered and screwed up his eyes in concentration. He was _not_ going to listen to some **_nonexistent_** voice in his head, because it _was_ nonexistent.

Unexpectedly, a gentle warmth and weight came to rest on the top of his hand. Gary stifled his impulse to twitch as he quickly realized it wasn't one of those Djinn things. How he knew so immediately without looking he was unsure, but it might've had something to do with how it felt like hand.

His fingers intertwined with those of the girl sitting next to him, taking comfort in her silent support.

:**elsewhere**:

A yell burst from his lungs as he fell, the side of the hole to far from his reach. Instinctively, he reached anyway, grabbing out at the wall of dirt only to hurt his hand when contact was finally made. He grabbed again and again, trying to stop his fall, the sound being ripped out of his mouth, the air rushing past his ears. He was falling, falling, falling, on and on and on, down, down, down, never ending, _always going down, down, down, faster, faster, **faster!**_

It stopped.

Cutting off his yell, he tumbled forward onto his hands and knees, breathing deeply as he sunk his fingers into the grass covered soil. His heartbeat was pounding in his head and he felt oddly limp, as if he'd just gone through something exhausting, which, in fact, he had. Trembling from nerves and the adrenaline still racing through him, he took a few shaking breaths as he raised his eyes to the… person before him, separated by the semi-transparent wall that had reappeared.

His gaze was met levelly. Mirante Veinu waited for him to move.

He gathered his wits tighter and forced himself to be calm, the walls rapidly becoming thicker and coming closer, too close. Far too close!

The wall sped back only to return as he braced himself. Out . . . in . . . out . . . in . . . While it wasn't exactly control, he had at least the power to affect the wall. In fact, it would make sense that he had made the wall as well. Mentally. _Which makes this wall alright,_ he told himself unconvincingly.

Mirante Veinu was still waiting, observing. What did she . . . it want? He asked her… it… the Lighthouse the question.

"_Much is unknown, Mariner King._"

Cryptic. This would take a while.

:**elsewhere**:

_Breathe in… Breathe out…_ "Dolgorukii."

Satornil turned to her, breaking off a tense conversation with Dr. Crade, a slight raise of the eyebrow forming an unspoken question: "Aren't we on a first name basis?"

Makrina ignored it and chose to carry out what she had planned, speaking in Russian so no others would understand. Well, Matthew might, but he _some_ tact; besides, he seemed busy arguing with the Brazilian girl.

'For some reason, that doesn't surprise me,' Menardi told her. 'Now go for it. If you think you have to, then you have to.'

"There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about," she continued in her first-language, using Menardi's ever-present determination to keep herself from stopping.

Satornil nodded, following her to the side. "Of course."

There was a pause and Makrina found herself staring at the other's ears, hoping something would be given away. No such luck; he was holding his ears in a neutral position.

She took a steadying breath while trying to seem as if she weren't. "You remember when Menardi joined with me?" _When I kissed you._ It was more of a statement than a question.

The ears still gave nothing away. He had to either have no influence on them or be controlling them; there was no other way they could be so still. Satornil nodded, his face a still mask. "You were most likely compelled to do so. Some of their last moments were together in a way that made them one person. Coupled with their obvious attraction to one another . . ."

"Exactly."

"I understand."

"So everything's settled between us. Back to the way it was before."

"Yes."

"Good."

Satornil nodded and broke what was sure to become an awkward silence by walking away. Everything was sorted out and the way it should've been.

But then why did she feel as if she'd just stabbed herself in the chest?

Her attention was drawn away from that feeling as Menardi noticed the Lighthouse beacon acting up again.

:**elsewhere**:

"_Physical shall rejoin physical_," Mirante Veinu told him, somewhat randomly. The problem was that nearly _all_ of the comments seemed random and would only cease to be so if he had enough time to think of them, if he was capable of grasping all that was implied.

He didn't bother to ask what she meant. Asking left him stranded, though waiting for questions to answer left him bored. But he was Lemurian. So he waited.

"_Mariner King._"

She waited.

"Yes?"

"_Prepare yourself for an experience._"

"What sort of experi-"

Everything changed.

It was like living in a forest and discovering the wide sky of a plain. The grandness and sheer enormity of what he perceived was awe-inspiring and fear-provoking. Everything was new and different and amazing. He was filled with wonder and pain and longing, the sensations of being physical replaced with something else, something that couldn't be described by words. It was something that made words unnecessary, fulfilling their purpose, even as it made the having of words more wonderful.

It was a cross of touch and smell, of hearing and taste. He could see in a way he could never have before, a way eyes did not allow. There was no contrast, nothing to be compared to what he saw and felt and experienced. Nothing could be compared to itself and it was everything. Truly, it was everything: the world, the Elements, the very fabric of what he thought of as reality.

But that fabric changed and flowed as he saw it, only the grandeur and magnificence of it remaining the same. It was disgusting and beautiful in every sense of both words at once. It was physical and it was emotional; it was everything that had ever existed and it was all extraordinary and horrendous, every last bit of it. Flowing sorrow and solid rage; glee in tangible form. It almost didn't matter what it was; the sheer act of experiencing, knowing, discovering made every nuance wondrous.

And then it changed again. It was different and yet familiar, as if he had only to re-adjust and then everything would make sense. There was a sort of pressure as well as a noise. The pressure was all . . . around, like an outline, and the sound was coming from beyond that.

There was a feeling that there was something not . . . solid, that was the word, moving against that outline as that outline . . . moved. It stopped moving.

The sounds began to change, taking on a frantic edge: "Milord is not breathing! He's stopped breathing!"

"Don't panic, Andrew!" Rather abruptly, a new pressure, a solid one, pushed in on the outline and moved it. Something within the outline moved as a reaction. A gasp, that's what it was called. It made what was inside the outline feel . . . improved. It kept happening, in a more relaxed manner. "Picard's head just needed re-adjusting."

There was another sound that he knew meant something was amusing. A laugh. "I never thought we'd ever actually have to _use_ what we learned in health class." A laugh at . . . irony, maybe? But it seemed . . . tense, that was it. Tense and worried. Over what? Over "Milord"? Over "Picard"?

Him! Over him!

Picard's eyes shot open, golden eyes staring up at person he recognized as Ian. Eyes, his eyes, part of his head, his body, what made him physical . . .

"Milord!"

_Andrew!_ Within moments, Picard had pushed himself up, with a little help from Ian, into a sitting position. The pair of Lemurians stared at each other for a short length, Picard taking everything in, all that his senses told him and all that he felt emotionally. Then, as he felt the younger man give a surprised jerk from being unexpectedly hugged, Picard realized what it was he had felt before during his . . . experience. Laughter built up inside him and burst out.

Life. That's what it had been.

Marvelous and repulsive life.


	23. to the present night at sea

Yugi the Other White Meat: You probably hear this all the time, but I love your name. Thanks!

TemplarofNi: Sorry about the slowness.

Avari: Thanks.

Rozzlyn: Things are probably going to get more abstract as the story goes along.

Procne: Would you believe that you're the second person to bring up the Wheel of Time series in eight days? Be critical all you want and feel free to tell me what you think.

****

End of Response Section

1/22/05

There should not be finals for gym class. It goes against all that gym stands for.

I have, on the other hand, discovered that I love gerbils.

1/23/05 s I'm getting to find the uploading thing very /s I've been finding the uploading issues very annoying for what seems like a very long while. Everything I use as a page break seems to get deleted. The first time, it was three underlined periods. This time, it's a bit different.

****

Disclaimer: Rallalon does not own Golden Sun, any of its characters, places or items. Nor does she own pebbles, Russian, murderesses, cards, conversations, contradictions, experiences, lacks, or various other things she doesn't feel like owning. On the other hand, she now owns one half a gerbil; as the gerbil is still in one piece, this makes her very happy.

****

Whyisn'tanythinguploadinganymoreIaskyou?

"It's not up to you."

"I'm still against it."

"Your point?"

"I'm still against it."

"It's still not up to you."

"I know that."

"Then why are you going on like this?"

"Just wanted to let you know."

"As if I'd think your opinion was anything else?"

'Will you stop that, Sheena? It's getting irritating.'

'He started it,' she told Sheba, glaring at Matthew as the guy started to stare off into space, looking like he was arguing with someone in his head as well. But losing. Ha.

'And?'

'I shouldn't have continued,' she intoned.

There was a moment of silence followed by a burst of amusement. 'Sometimes I feel like I'm talking to my daughter.'

Sheena answered with a smile.

Matthew glared at her.

"Hey! Lovebirds!"

The glare was then focused on its owner's cousin as Sheena felt her eyebrow give an involuntary twitch. "What is it, Jen?" Matthew finally asked.

"Everybody inside the cabin! We're choosing how we're going to divide up for tomorrow," Jen announced to all on deck, about six people, Jen included.

"What do you mean?" Sheena inquired as Ian(?) and Gary(?) headed in.

"Well, let's just say that not everyone has their parents' approval for being here. So we figured that if we could try to hit both remaining Lighthouses tomorrow, things would go . . . faster, at least. We figure that it would be better on everyone's nerves, and Lemuria's future political position, if this was over in four days, not five."

Sheena was now even gladder that she'd been able to convince her parents to let her come. Transplanting knowledge via Mind Read was a valuable skill to have; not only was it good to learn different languages, but it helped stop people from sending you to a mental hospital. But . . . "Five? There are only four Lighthouses."

"We spent a night in Lemuria."

"Ah. Well, I'm going to Jupiter; that's a given."

"True. But we'd still like you in there." Jen raised an eyebrow at Matthew, daring him to disagree.

"Alright."

With Matthew and an ill-looking Satornil following(Matthew in a far more steady manner), the pair of girls entered into the main cabin and into a large group discussion. The over seven of them were already sitting and standing around the room with miscellaneous Djinn, all assembled close to a table with some sort of markers on it. Sheena sat down next to May with Jen beside her.

"Now that we're all here," Picard began, clearly in control of the situation, "first is who _wants_ to go to where and who _needs_ to go to where."

"Dolgorukii and I would be best for Mars," Makrina said before adding "And Matthew" as an afterthought. The reason was clear; not only did they speak the language, there was a chance that they knew the area near the Lighthouse.

"I'm good with that," Matthew said as Sheena had the oddest feeling that _someone_ was staring, no, glaring at her back again, "though Felix is undecided."

"Da for both of us," Satornil agreed.

Three counters out of the main pile to form their own, two red, one yellow.

"I already know I'm going to Jupiter," Sheena admitted before asking, "Does anyone know where Ivan is?"

"Gust is missing," Echo pointed out.

"He is?"

Echo mimicked a sound of disgust. "No one pays attention to Djinn anymore." Several others of said creatures chirped their agreement.

"I find it hard not to," Saturos(?) countered. "There's just too many of you flying around to keep track of."

"Eighteen of each color, you call that too many?"

"To quote my counter-part: da."

Sheena figured now was a good time to butt in, before the Proxan got himself Djinnified by a mob of affronted creatures with Psynergy. "So who's coming with me? Now that we know who's needed where."

"I will," Ian volunteered. Considering his company otherwise, it made a fair bit of sense.

"Ditto," Xander said and May quickly echoed. It seemed both the minds in May's body had taken it upon themselves to monitor all of Alex's, and therefore Xander's, actions.

Two red and a yellow; one purple, one yellow, and two blue.

Sheba picked up on an emotional tension of sorts, coming from behind them. Wishing she had enough experience to do that, Sheena glanced back. Gary. Well, ever since she'd first seen him, there'd been a tension of sorts, as if he were struggling just to remain sane. This was different; he was torn. Between . . . ?

"I'll go, too," said Jen who seemed to have noticed Sheena's glance.

The tension behind her released. "Me three."

__

Clink, clink. Two red and a yellow; two red, a purple, a yellow, and two blue. Four counters remained, three blue, one a semi-clear gray.

"For balance's sake, I think I'll be going to Mars," Picard decided and with a questioning glance at the other two Lemurians, dropped all three blue counters into the Mars pile. _Clink, clink, clink._ As no objections were raised, he turned to the last member of the group. "Dr. Crade?"

The old man pushed his glasses further up his nose. "Jupiter. The oldest in that group so far is, what, eighteen?" he asked Xander. At the teen's nod, he continued, "I think it best I go with them."

__

Clink. "So tomorrow we Teleport to one Lighthouse, leave the according group there and Teleport to the next Lighthouse, simple."

"And if we only discover where one Lighthouse is?" Xander(?) asked.

"Then we just wasted five minutes," Menardi told him in a semi-menacing manner. It might have been Alex talking after all.

There was a brief pause. "So what now?"

"We eat?"

"We eat."

****

Whyisn'tanythinguploadinganymoreIaskyou?

"So you see the problem."

The woman looked up at him for the first time and Aquae had to rein in his urge to step back. "I don't think you see mine."

"As of a few days ago, Rebecca, you've had two problems." He paused slightly, suddenly afraid of a reaction from calling her by her first name. "You've had a long time to mull over the first one. The second, I would think you'd care more about."

The murderess continued to simply look at him with that unnerving, weighing look. "And why is that?" She had to be aware of how much she was getting to him. And she _was_ getting to him.

__

Be someone who Adrian would be proud to call his tutor, he told himself in hopes it would help. _Play this game of cards right and nearly show your hand; bait her. _"You are aware of which young man keeps almost constant company with King Piers, are you not?"

No reaction.

"No?" he asked, feinting surprise. "I would have thought he'd told you."

Her expression had changed slightly, but only for a moment. What had been that expression? Curiosity? Dread?

"But really," he continued, silently apologizing to the one he was referring to, "I shouldn't be surprised if he didn't want you to know what with . . . you know."

There was a reluctant acceptance in the woman's expression. Very reluctant. ". . . Is he . . . happy?"

"Last I saw him? None more so. From what I've seen, he still has a bit of a child-like side, but . . ." _Emotional trauma will do that to a person._ This would be so much easier if he knew more about the man!

"And if King Piers were to die . . . ?"

"I doubt Andrew would recover."

The woman continued to study him, but in a different fashion than before. No less intense, yet . . . slightly less hostile. "What exactly do you want me to do?"

"Which side are you on?" Aquae countered. Needless to say, telling her at this stage would not be a good idea by any means.

"The one that lets my son be happy. And, of course, me as well."

"As far as I can tell, there's only one that's making an offer."

"As far as I can tell," she countered, "you're going to try to save the precious king, and therefore Andrew, whatever I choose to do."

"As far as I can tell, non-involvement won't improve your surroundings."

A slight rise of the eyebrow. He had her. "And what are these… improved surroundings?"

"Larger living space. Better view. Better food. Possibly a courtyard. At the very least, a change in scenery for the better."

"I promise my aid to you in whatever this is and you promise that's what I get? My son safe and better living if I survive?"

That gave him slight pause, but he spoke through it; he hadn't wanted her to know the full risks. "I so swear to do such, on the condition that you carry out your agreed upon task to the best of your ability and do not tell any other of this conversation. In the instance of your breaking, I shall not do such and attempt the opposite."

One last weighing look and then she took the plunge. "This is understood," Rebecca the Killer replied in the traditional fashion. "I so swear to do such, on the condition that you, or another allied to you, uphold your end of this bargain. In the instance of your breaking, I shall re-earn my title."

Without hesitation, Aquae replied, "This is understood." There wasn't any risk about _her_ killing him, really. Not now.

"So what do I have to do?"

"When King Piers returns, there is the possibility that an attack would be made on the King's ship. Your son would be on that ship with the King, Lord Crest or both. Supposing the King is on the ship, an effort may be made to kill him. Supposing the King is not on the ship, Lord Crest will be put down for treason. Supposing both are alive, an attack may be made on the King. If the last is the case, Lord Crest should not be trusted; it's the best possibility in this situation for him, if he picks the winning side."

"You want me to stop damage to the King. And if he is not on the ship?"

"Then he is dead or will be declared treasonous."

"So. A coup d'état. Why are you siding with the King, if it's not to much to ask?"

Aquae thought his answer over for a moment deciding on the wording. "I know very well that he isn't the best ruler Lemuria could have hoped for. I know that there's always a chance of political upheaval whenever he leaves, which he always does, every twenty years. But I know he can keep the Senate in line and make good changes. The standard of living has stayed the same, even gone up slightly, something it should not have with the Theory of Depletion-"

"Which is?"

"Psynergy is waning. I'd prefer to go into more detail, but I fear we may be short on time."

She proved her good facial control once again but her posture became uneasy. She was soon back to business, though. "How will I get into the harbor?"

"It will be arranged. You will be escorted by another or myself. You will recognize your escort by the greeting 'Seems as if a storm's coming in' or something similar."

"When can I expect this to happen?"

"It might take months." _I hope it will. The mainland should be fairly far away._ And if it didn't . . ._ I wonder if Adrian's found anything yet._ "Still, anything's possible. They might have need to turn back; why I don't know, but it's a possibility."

The murderess nodded, but said nothing else.

"It's time I took my leave of you," he said louder and far more curtly than he had been speaking previously as he made his way into the front hall. "Good day."

Exiting the small building, he turned to the guards and proceeded to ramble on about the book a certain Senator with an unnerving fondness for a certain murderess had borrowed. Such a pity he hadn't found it; he'd been assured that's where it had been left. And he'd had to go through an unsettling encounter with said murderess to only discover that the book was not there! The outrage, losing books like that! Didn't the guard think so? Why, he remembered a time when books and scrolls were special items, to be looked after and valued. Yes, there had been some fine documents back then. Hadn't the guards read any? No? Pity, such a pity. Why, he remembered another young gent, rather similar in appearance to one of them, who had done very little learning in his youth. Wasted, those years were. What, oh yes, he had someplace else he needed to be, but not for a while yet. Now where had he left off? Ah, yes. . .

Aquae allowed himself to feel a certain amount of pride as the two men tried to fend him off without offending, too distracted by his well-known senile behavior to ask questions as it would only prolong the conversation.

And people wondered why he of all people was Adrian's mentor.

****

Whyisn'tanythinguploadinganymoreIaskyou?

"Picard?"

"Yes, Jenna?"

"Where's the Douse Drop?"

"Here it is. Why?"

"I'm guessing you've noticed that most of us haven't bathed in at least two days."

"The tub's still on this ship somewhere. The Djinn would probably know where."

"Thanks."

"Not a problem."

****

Whyisn'tanythinguploadinganymoreIaskyou?

She liked the rocking of the ship and the smell of salt. Despite having just eaten, she felt fine, the opposite of the Mars Adepts onboard. She knew from Mia that she was more compatible with the solid or drinkable forms of her element, but the ocean was a pleasant place for her as well.

"So."

May gave a slight jump and turned around, her hand holding onto the railing more tightly. "So what?"

Xander shrugged. "Nothing, just trying to start a conversation."

"Not the best starter." The part of her that understood how Mia felt about Alex wanted her to distance herself from Xander and was trying to do so. Then there was the part that firmly understood that, no matter what this reincarnation thing told them, Xander _wasn't_ Alex and so wanted to stick by him. Had Xander been anything like his counterpart, May would never have been considering asking him out. Of course, those plans were now dead, or at the very least put on hold.

Mia was right: Alex was a bother.

"It's working so far." He stretched his arms out for a moment before joining her by the rail, staring off into the waters, the waves sparkling like diamonds in the remaining light from a sun nigh to setting.

Okay, now she was waxing poetic. For some reason, May didn't think that was a good sign. Especially when it was considered who else resided in Xander's head.

Hmm. A strange thought. 'Mia?' she asked. 'How is it that out of all the Mercury Adepts, only Alex can Warp?'

'I don't know. I've wondered since I first saw him do it, but I don't know.' A pause. 'You want to ask him.'

'Xander, yes.'

'Why?'

'You just said you always wondered.'

Taking the silence for permission -- not that she needed permission; she just wanted to make sure she didn't offend Mia -- she looked to Xander . . . and paused.

His face, his eyes, the small scar she'd seen him get scratching at a mosquito bite too hard, his hair with blue starting to come in at the roots, all of it was undeniably Xander. But . . . something in his posture, a slight nuance of his expression . . . there was a change, a fusion of sorts. A frown that could be mistaken for a smile at first glance had meshed with the furrowed brow that signified there was something heavy on his mind. The slight slouch was even slighter and his weight was on his right leg more. Odd how all the details were jumping out, how she could tell so easily what was . . . not exactly wrong, but . . . not right either. Changed. In a way that caused her, and Mia, an irrational fear.

He seemed sadder than one person could possibly be, meaning something was wrong for both of them. There was regret and there was pain, that was for certain. Over what, neither May or may could begin to guess at. What did Xander have to deal with that made him look so despairing? With how the expressions were fused, it seemed doubtful that Alex could be the problem, unless Alex was having troubles with Alex as well.

A blue-green eye glanced in her direction and Xander turned his head to meet her gaze fully. Just like that, all traces of Alex vanished, as if the sight she'd seen but seconds before had never existed.

"What?"

Still rather disturbed and concerned, May forced a smile and shook her head. "Nothing. Just thinking."

He smiled back, but once again, there was something not quite right about it, not completely like the Xander she knew. But not Alex-y either.

Her smile faded to be replaced by a concerned frown. She wanted to know what was wrong, but she didn't want to pry either, strangely unsure of their relationship.

"You alright?" Xander asked her.

She looked him in the eye and her shoulders started to shake from the effort to hold the emotion that resulted in.

Slightly more anxious, he continued, looking as if he were wondering if a comforting hug was appropriate. "May, you know you can talk to me and, uh, I, well. Yeah, I stink at this, I know."

__

He was trying to comfort _her_. This was too much. May promptly started laughing so hard it was difficult to remain standing. It seemed to be infectious and soon the both of them were red-faced and dizzy. At one point, Xander choked out something along the lines of "Why are we laughing?" to which she mouthed back "I don't know. Stress?" and that had only made him laugh harder.

Sinking down to the deck before her knees could give out while still trying to hold onto the rail, she thought she saw a Venus Djinni, somehow looking somewhat disappointed, fly off of the cannon to who-knows-where.

****

Whyisn'tanythinguploadinganymoreIaskyou?

Once it had been decided that they would be splitting ways come morning, Felix and Sheba had come up with a deal. A small, teeny-tiny little deal that would be no problem whatsoever just because it was that teeny-tiny of a little deal. Felix and Sheba wanted to spend some time together. And so . . .

"Your hand's sweaty."

"That would be yours," Matthew countered. This was not fun. This was not even remotely pleasant. It was the opposite and he hated it. A lot, very much, extremely, severely, totally, absolutely. . .

It was boring too. And irritating. And . . . he was ranting, wasn't he?

"Come on," he said abruptly, standing up and giving her hand a tug.

"Come on where?"

"Outside. Too stuffy in here."

"Don't let Picard hear you saying that," she countered, but followed without complaint.

He rolled his eyes. "I can see why your parents was letting come with us."

She glared.

__

I. Am. Good.

"It's a Jupiter Adept thing." The angered expression suddenly turned unsettlingly devious. "I bet I could convince you to jump off the side of the boat."

Suddenly the simple physical contact of handholding was worse in a whole new, Psynergetic way. He forced himself to meet her eyes. "So long as you stay on it, I'm not entirely against that plan." He attempted a smirk. "And don't let Picard hear you saying it's a boat." Not the best comeback, but it would do.

It occurred to him that only a few days ago, he wouldn't have ever had enough guts to bicker with someone who was practically a complete stranger. That was a strange thought. Maybe the confidence came from Felix, like how Felix's acceptance of the situation made him accept it as well. But then why had he accepted Felix? He assumed he had a choice in the matter; Gary was sure displaying that he did. Assuming Felix's confidence hadn't leaked into his mind before Matthew had come to grips with everything, why had he decided that Felix was alright? Why had he decided that he was going along with the whole Lighthouse thing?

__

Questions, questions . . . he thought as he led the way out to the deck.

One of them being why Xander and May were laughing their heads off. He quirked an eyebrow and wrote it off to being tired/stressed/possessed. Xander regained a straight face, if it could be called that, and gave him a look equal to "I don't get it either, but whatever it was, it was funny."

Matthew mouthed back _"Okay then."_

"Let's leave the lovebirds alone," Sheena prompted.

"Before you get any ideas," he told her before finding himself on the receiving end of the squeeze-the-other-person's-hand-so-hard-that-it-might-break game.

Obviously, he squeezed back.

****

Whyisn'tanythinguploadinganymoreIaskyou?

He leaned back, smiling softly as he fingered his braid, playing with it. The smile grew as he spotted a split end.

And promptly vanished.

How long? How much time did that imply? Or was it simply an affect of his diet? Or-

Did it even matter? He'd known long ago that his death was unlikely to be from natural causes. Assassination or . . . otherwise, it would end eventually. _He_ would end eventually. Once everything was sorted out. Once he could be sure his responsibilities could be born by another . . .

Focusing on the sound of the waters encompassing his ship, blocking out the noise of speech and laughter, he turned his head slightly, staring at the ceiling. It was rather ironic how the problems of one's life were what could keep one living it. The lack, and the hope one would keep simply so that it might be filled. The struggle and the instinctual need to fight back. Life.

He tried to get the feeling back, the one that Mirante Venu had allowed him. He tried, and failed. An experience. It certainly had been one.

"Milord?"

Smile, nod, reassure. Dismiss lightly, look thoughtful yet content, show promise of conversation later.

Life was a thing of contradictions, of joyful grief and timid strength. Life and death; the sides of a coin. What was the other side like, he would wonder? Did his friends, returned to him for these short moments, know and were refusing to tell? Or were they simply unable to comprehend it now that they were once again in the realm of the living? Beyond the living to know death and there beyond the dead to understand the living?

Wonder, curiosity, ideals. Disappointment, despair, reality. The wandering mariner and the responsible king. To know both sides of the coin at once.

As his gaze drifted along the ceiling beams, he was forced to wonder. Why was he simply sitting here?! Why didn't he go among those he would call his companions, comrades, friends? Was he to simply sit back and watch after all the waiting? Was too much gone, changed? Had he merely been clinging to the idea, hoping just to fill the lack?

The lack would never be filled. Caused by the simple fact that humans were ill suited to live beyond their time, it would remain until death. Was there any fear of it anymore? As he had told the Lighthouse, no, not any longer. Looking back, he assumed the drop she had put him through was to prove this. Why, he was unsure of; the results, he was pondering. What was he afraid of?

An unexpected out-burst from one of the youths momentarily drew his eye, watching as the boy's girlfriend took him by the hand and led him out of the main room for privacy. The struggle, the fight. So easy to tell what the boy was afraid of, so easy.

It wasn't lack of control that was his fear. Not his main fear anyway. . .

If he could keep this moment, he would. Surrounded by people he did care about, _could_ care about, there was an amount of contentment, spoiled only by the knowledge that it couldn't last, couldn't be kept or preserved except in memory, fallible even with the crystals set on his self at home. This wouldn't last, couldn't. Time stripped away any illusions, hopeful or otherwise.

It stripped away memories as well. And losing those, having the shaping events of his life being forgotten or repressed . . . frightened him. More than he would like to admit.

Why was he sitting around philosophizing? His friends were here now; there would be time for thinking later.

There always would be.


	24. to the present day Chinese airport

Rozzlyn: Fixed that, I hope. Anyhow, I actually wouldn't recommend reading the _Wheel of Time_. The majority of it is a waste of time and all the characters seem to blend together after a while, especially the female ones.

TemplarofNi: Prepare for things to become far more interesting.

Avari, wind seer: Thanks, for the notice and the comment.

moonjump05: Thanks for the heads up.

Semaj Fallen: I'd wondered where you'd gone. Welcome back.

AmandaZgreat(x2): As ever, your reviews are welcomed with open arms. (However, if you are going to propose to it, I insist that you wait until my fic is of marriageable age.)

Kd7sov(x11): My god... I must say that I admire your persistence. Just... wow. Eleven times. In one week. I must tell you, answering my email and finding all those reviews day after day was rather impressive. :shakes head in amazement: There is so much I would like to reply to, but it would take me hours. I thank you for pointing out every single flaw that I'd noticed and hadn't gotten around to correcting, as well as a few I hadn't seen. Your input with be very useful when/if I get around to editing this thing.

Myshadow: Thanks. I fear progress has slowed greatly from then, though.

Epobbp: Define "soon".

End of Response Section 

7/22/05

Well. It's been a while. Let's see how well I can handle this, shall we?

**Disclaimer:** Rallalon does not own Golden Sun or any of its characters, places or times. Nor does she own pay phones, China, Asia, air ports, draught, life-changing experiences, languages, techniques used by Guy Kay -- effective though they are, planes, fatherhood, or memories.

.-.-.-.-.-.

In a manner that was not exactly calm, Mr. Hame checked the status of his plane only to find it still "delayed". It had been "delayed" for hours now. The family talent of sleeping in chairs had come into use.

And his plane was still delayed. His son's flight was going to land soon. In China. Where he was to wait for the two hours it was supposed to take for Mr. Hame to catch up. How would he know that his father's flight had been delayed? Who would he turn to for help? What if his sister was there and sued him for mistreating Evan? No, that was unlikely, but Evan might feel pressured to go off someplace with Hua instead of waiting for him. Would that be better than waiting for what, eight or ten hours?

He took a breath. Evan was a smart boy: doubtlessly he'd check the status of his father's plane and then try to put a call through to him. They could figure out what they would do then.

Evan would be all right. Simple as that.

Now to find where the non-out-of-order phones were.

**.-.-.-.-.-.**

"I just got readjusted to the time zone back home. This-"

"'Fludes'?" Satornil offered his younger friend. It seemed the guy had volunteered to pack lunch for the half of them going to Russia. Nothing worse than being stuck atop of large tower with nothing to eat, Satornil could vouch for that. Apparently, Andrew had taken care of it last time, but Felix seemed to like doing this sort of thing. Why, no one was entirely sure. He'd hated it when he had been stuck with kitchen duty before. Things must've changed... From Saturos' perspective of the world. No reason for Satornil to be feeling this left-behind and frustrated.

Matthew quirked an eyebrow. "Can it be used like that?" he asked in Russian, practicing.

"All-purpose word," he replied in the same language, thankful for the change. He was practically _thinking_ in English by now. "At least according to Saturos." He paused for a yawn. "So how's everyone else doing this fine time of day?"

"Well . . . I think Garet's up and running about."

"Not Gary?"

"Still sleeping. Almost enough to make me wonder what Felix did with my body while I was asleep." A pause. "I was jokin- Yeah, I get that-" Another pause. "I never said that you did, but-"

Satornil found it in his best interest to ignore the spectacle. There was only one word for all this: bizarre. And yet . . . it was becoming increasingly natural. If it weren't for that Gary kid, would he still feel like this, mind it so much? Was this-

'It's similar to fusion, yes, in everything except having two bodies fused.'

'What?' Satornil found himself closing his eyes, picturing Saturos as he remembered himself. He'd found that it made the act of speaking with him more comfortable.

'That's what you were going to ask, wasn't it?'

'Yes . . .' Were they-

'It _is_ possible to fuse together too close, but I don't think we're there yet. Still...'

'We'll have to keep an eye on Matthew.'

'True. First to come, first to happen.'

'Logically.'

'Though, being second, we might go soon anyway.'

'That is what's going to happen?'

'Maybe. You're right, I might separate from you.'

'We don't know when, or if.'

'I . . .'

'I know.'

"Satornil?"

He opened his eyes and didn't bother apologizing to Matthew. "So are we done?"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Evan came through the gate and was immediately hit with the full realization of a very simple fact: he was in Asia. For the first time in his life, excluding trips to a few China Towns, the majority of the people around him looked... well, like him. He heard occasional snatches of English, but that was mostly by businessmen into cell phones. Cool.

He was feeling a little over-whelmed, but, man, this was awesome! He was in China!

First things first, though. He needed to find his sister, a board with the status of his dad's plane on it, and where his stuff would be.

But his sister first, he decided, taking a few steps to his right without thinking about it. How he was going to do that... Uh... What were the odds she'd be standing somewhere with a cardboard sign with "Evan Hame" written on it?

Yeah, he'd thought so.

A woman tripped over someone's carry-on bag left on the floor and spilt her coffee. He sidestepped, but it wasn't necessary. Maybe if he had been standing a little more to his left, it might have been.

Paying no attention to the incident, Evan decided finding the other two things on the list would be a good thing. And finding a bathroom as well as the current time and an approachable English speaker. It was a good thing the signs were multi-lingual. It was weird how no matter what airport he was in, those symbols were always the same. Even the arrows-

He turned around.

That was... odd. A weird... tug feeling. Probably nothing. Something caused by jet lag, plane food, nerves, pick one. Nothing...

Purple.

What was that? Some toy a little kid had thrown that had gotten stuck up there? Those light fixtures were pretty high up, though...

Still, there was something purple up there and-

_Had it just moved?_

_"Isaac, Garet!" he called back over his shoulder, giving the sculpture of the mayor's wife another light push and finding it unsteady. "I think we can move this statue."_

_"What for?" the Mars Adept asked. _

_"Garet, give Ivan some credit. Without him, we wouldn't be in this cave." Isaac gestured Ivan to get out of the way and once the younger boy had complied, cast a simple Move. _

_"Okay, so the thing can be moved? Why are we down here?"_

_Ivan shrugged, walking deeper into the cave. "A feeling." He got them sometimes, and when he did, he had found it was best to follow them. _

_Even if it did make some people think he was not quite right in the head._

_"You see anything?" Isaac called._

_"I..." Ivan squinted in the very dim light. "I'm not sure."_

_There was something there... He could tell. _

_"Hello... Is someone there?"_

_A small, surprised squeak hit his ears, echoed off the walls and hit his ears again. A child playing hide-and-go-seek, perhaps? But it felt like..._

_Jupiter. And when he reached out with his Psynergy, he felt strong winds pulling at him, pushing him, playing with his hair. It was hard to believe he was in a cave, with still and musty air. _

_Another squeak._

_"Ivan? What's back there?"_

_"I'm coming after you!"_

_"No, Garet. I'm fine. Isaac... I think I found a Djinni."_

_A third squeak sounded, and this time, a small creature flew towards him, then around him, again and again._

_/Hello, Adept/ the Djinni said into his mind, giving off a sense of formality for this occasion. /Will you be friends with me/_

_'I will.' Ivan was mildly aware of Garet behind him, followed by Isaac. This was the first time another had contacted him mentally. And if he had been honest with himself, he had envied the Valemen for their Djinn._

_/Good. I think I'll like you./_

_'You mean you don't already?'_

_Another squeak, an amused one. /Perhaps I do. What's your name, Adept/_

_'I am Ivan of Kalay, servant of Master Hammet. What is your name?'_

_The Djinni landed on his shoulder gently, hardly as large as Ivan's fist. There are what look to be two small wings on its back, one over either shoulder -- could it have shoulders, if it had no arms? The plume on its head was longer than the Djinni was tall, though not by much. One blue eye gazed at him as the boy stared at his newfound companion. It nearly looked like there was another set of eyes, orange and where Ivan supposed its temples to be. This was a creature of Jupiter, an animal of wind. _

_It was beautiful. _

_The Djinni once reached out to him once more, touching his mind as no one else ever had before. This was no invasion of privacy, as he had feared it might be, like a hug from a stranger. _

_This was a mother's embrace._

_As Isaac and Garet watched, hearing none of this conversation, the Djinni told Ivan its name._

"Gust."

The Djinni gave a pleased squeak. /I've missed you./

Evan stared at the thing on his shoulder. And then, had he been able, he would have stared at the inside of his mind.

'I've missed you, too, Gust. I promise we'll catch up later, but I believe... Evan needs someone to clarify the situation for him.' There was a feeling of soft laughter. 'Even though I think I need someone to clarify the situation for _me._'

A part of Evan's mind told him that, without question, he was going insane. This was the logical part of Evan's mind and it had come up with several reasons for this. First, having visions. Second, seeing weird creatures materialize. Third, having said weird creature talk to him when. It didn't even have a mouth. Fourth, hearing another voice in his head. Fourth...

Feeling like it was right for this to be happening.

'...Hello?' Did one talk to the voices in one's head by thinking?

'Hello. I'm Ivan of Kalay.'

Apparently, one did. '...I'm Evan Hame,' he replied, wondering why the person in his head didn't already know that.

'I'm an Adept,' Ivan told him as they walked towards a more private looking spot, gently taking the Djinni off their shoulder and carrying him. 'So are you.'

Ivan seemed... familiar. '...I know you.'

Evan had the strange feeling the man would have been nodding in approval had he had his own body. 'You should.'

'...How?'

'Do you believe in reincarnation?'

...That was a disturbing notion. 'I'm agnostic. So, not really.'

'I would say the same, except that I saw you.'

'You had a vision of me?' Here was a good place. And if he were to take his CD player out of his backpack, put the headphones on and lean against the wall... No one would bother him.

Evan had the oddest feeling that Ivan was curious about the CD player. 'A prediction. And that was a very, _very_ long time ago.'

How long? 'You seem old.'

'Jupiter Adepts age well,' Ivan replied, his tone light and joking.

_Jupiter?_ '...You're an alien?'

'A what?'

No, whatever else Ivan was, he was most definitely human. '... Never mind.'

He was getting the feeling that Ivan was pulling the answer out of his mind. He then got the feeling that Ivan was putting the matter aside for the time being. 'We need to find Hama.'

'Who's Hama?'

That sensation came again. 'Hua. Hama should have contacted Hua by now.'

Evan tried to copy whatever it was that Ivan was doing. '...Is Hama your sister?'

Ivan paused, and the pair of them came to a silent agreement not to look into the other's mind without permission. Ivan then opened his mind to him, trusting him with everything he had.

It was truly amazing.

'She is. We need to find her, and go someplace with her.'

Evan grinned, all thoughts of the possibility of insanity behind him. Everything would be all right. Well, maybe not. His father would be... Actually, it was better not to think about it. But he trusted Ivan.

And even if he hadn't found his sister yet, he'd found an unexpected brother.

.-.-.-.-.-.

The world has changed.

He has changed.

There is greater change to come.

He knows this.

He knows that what was once murky is becoming clear, a self-awareness of sorts. After so long, it confuses.

Because something is happening, something that he has no control over, no experience with. That is a strange and rare occurrence, frightening and exhilarating, a paradox of emotions.

Or something more.

Possibly. Eventually. He doesn't know yet.

But he will.

He will.

.-.-.-.-.-.

"Beware of trap doors!"

"Watch out for miracles!"

.-.-.-.-.-.

Well.

Here they were.

They'd Teleported to China and dropped off half of their number in a way that was seeming almost... normal now. And then, they'd Teleported here.

And here they were.

Home.

"Dolgorukii, what way are we going?" Makrina asked, looking up and down the street. It was obvious they had to get out of town before they would find the tower.

"Why are you asking me, Zoshchenko?"

Besides the jerking of her ears, there was no reaction.

Satornil still saw it, though.

Neither commented, and were finally pulled away from a staring match a moment later.

"It's been quite some time since I was in these parts last," Picard commented in their native language, somehow managing to dispel a large amount of tension. Even though Sheba had transferred the knowledge of the language from her and Satornil's minds into those of their other companions, Picard still sounded old.

Control now firmly in the hands of a man who changed slower than languages, the group finally gave in and asked for directions.

They were on their way.

'We're going to do it this time.'

'We are,' she agreed.

.-.-.-.-.-.

Thoroughly annoyed, Adrian sat down heavily on a wooden chair in Aquae's library. A sigh escaped him. He felt so worn out. He'd learned so much and nothing at all, learned until his head felt as if it could hold no more.

Picard -- Adrian could no longer think of the man as "King Piers" now that he knew him the way he did -- was more than he could ever have thought. There was so much pain, so much weariness in those crystals. Adrian couldn't imagine why the majority of the memories he had witness had been kept. There were several that made sense, telling him details more personal than Adrian had a right to know.

Picard had married, several times.

Picard had known fatherhood, several times.

Picard had known death, more times than any man could count.

Adrian found himself crying, unable to stop. So long, so long, too long this man had lived. What kept him going, moving, keeping to his duty? He understood the man now better than he ever had before, enough to know that he was a complete stranger and always would remain so.

He had a sudden thought to that fellow who served Picard. His name eluded memory, but Adrian had a sudden moment of pity. Adrian's man had his trust and a larger amount of knowledge of him than he would be comfortable allowing anyone else to know. Ennis knew him in the way that only a man who had been with him since birth could know him. Picard's man had that denied to him, a thought making Adrian more inexplicably sorrowful by each passing wave of the sea.

The urge to go home and hug what was sure to be a very confused Ennis came and left him. He had to wait for Aquae and tell him what he knew.

Though, to be truthful, he was mostly taking a break. He needed to... He didn't know what he needed to do.

Wiping his face off was a good idea, he decided. The disgust that would normally accompany tears wasn't present. Never before in his life had he such a reason to cry.

Why didn't Picard cry? Could he, anymore?

Adrian stifled that thought and crammed a handkerchief back into his pocket at the sound of footsteps. He looked over his shoulder, not bothering to rise.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were fur-sick from my pet," Aquae remarked softly, the caline cradled in one of his arms.

Adrian pulled out the chair next to him for his mentor. The older man sat, letting his small animal go on the table, only paying it attention when it wandered too closely to some document or another. "What did you find out?"

"...Things. I saw..." Adrian shook his head and looked at Aquae hopelessly.

"Not much that could help us, I take it." Aquae silently asked him a question Adrian would not and could not answer.

"No. And I won't do it again."

"Adrian... I told you that you would see things best left in darkness. All Seers do, regardless of their Element." His voice was soothing, and aged, and easy to listen to.

"I lived it," Adrian said dully. "And I watched them all die."

Aquae studied him for a long moment, saying nothing, his hand idly stroking the arched back of his pet. The pair of humans watched as it jumped off the table and ran between rows of shelves, vanishing from sight. Finally, quietly, gently, the older inquired.

"Who?"

"Everyone he loved."

"King Piers?"

Adrian nodded after a moment. Vaguely, he wondered why he was grieving for these people, these faceless ghosts he had never met. But they _weren't _faceless, and he had known them, for a moment. There was so much lost, so much...

And in the same tone, the one he used to often imagine his father using with him, had he been the first son and not the second: "How?"

He explained, pressing his palms against his closed eyes. He spoke of the crystals, but was vague as to what he'd seen. There was a feeling as if he'd violated the man haunting him, and Adrian knew it was for good reason. He'd needed to know, he'd needed that knowledge, he'd done it for his king, he'd meant no harm...

He had seen disease and been unable to cure them all, being too weak.

He had seen ignorance and been unable to teach.

He had seen people die, from age, accident and murder.

He had seen love snap and break, felt it do so.

Adrian had seen and experienced a lifetime in one day. And it wasn't a lifetime he felt himself able to cope with.

"We can't use them. The crystals. We can't use them. We'll find another information source. We should have some time. Only months, but... We can't use them."

There was a long silence.

There was an aged hand on his shoulder.

There was understanding.

"Yet we must do something," Adrian finished. "I can't even predict things on command. In fact, Aquae, I doubt I can go to sleep on command."

The older man studied for a moment, before turning on his heel and striding purposefully towards the exit of his library. "I'll meet you in your rooms, Adrian, provided of course that you won't mind the headache you'll have come morning."

He stared at the retreating back for a moment before giving a vaguely amused sigh. If Aquae wanted to waste a glass of his stronger stuff on him, then why not let him.

Having the sudden thought of a lavender-haired man, he paused from the feeling of intense dislike. He didn't think he'd seen the man in one of the memories, but perhaps Picard had remembered the man in one of those memories. No matter how Adrian knew him, it was obvious these little flashbacks and rememberings would keep happening.

Shrugging the feeling off and continuing on his way, Adrian had the somewhat amusing realization that he was perhaps the first man who actually _could_ solve his problems with a glass of the draught.

It all depended on if he dreamed, and what.


	25. to present day Prox

kd7sov: Annoy me? Not at all. If I seemed terse, well... that's because I often am. If anything, I was amusedly bewildered (to the point of using words that don't exist, it would seem). You've found and pointed out nigh every flaw I need to go back and fix, some I hadn't noticed until then, and then you kept saying that you still like this fic. Seriously, I'm doing a massive edit once my baby's fully-grown.

epobbp: I get it, I get it...

Aruken: Adrian's a Water Seer. I believe it was first mentioned in the beginning of chapter 17. All the main Adept crew is awakened, plus Saturos and Menardi. As for anyone else, that has yet to be seen.

AmandaZgreat: And you're my ego boost. Though I have to admit, seeing only seven words was a little confusing. : P

Some Random Venus Adept: Works for me.

**End of Response Section**

11/3/05

Two years. Two Lighthouses. Twenty-five chapters. Twenty-nine significant characters, twenty-nine separate motivations. Seventy-two Djinn.

And so many memories.

Next time, it'll be smaller.

**Disclaimer:** Rallalon does not own Golden Sun or any of its characters, places or items. Nor does she own innkeepers, stars, dragons, campfires... insert long list here... or wrinkled jeans. Adrian is Freek's, Lord Aquae Yoshimi's.

.-.-.-.-.-.

_"Mind if I ask you a question, Mariner? And I already know that I already did," Felix tacked on testily._

_Picard raised an eyebrow. What had Felix in such a bad mood this time? He hadn't seen anyone flirt with Jenna since the last inn, so perhaps it was his leg acting up again. "So long as it has nothing to go with my age, go ahead." It was a sign of how close he was with his new family that he had allowed previous jests on what was the taboo topic of his homeland. It was always rude, even when commented on by the ignorant, and Picard didn't wish to endure another such affront with Felix already in a troubled mood._

_Felix leaned back in his chair, gazing into the mug of something the innkeeper's wife had pressed on "the poor youngin' looking in need of something to warm him up." The so-called kindness had cost a few coins, but Picard didn't think that was the trouble either. Well accustomed to the quiet man's silences, Picard began to wait him out._

_"...What do you want, Picard?"_

_His mother, Lunpa, his uncle, his king's approval, his own bed each night... "What do you mean?"_

_Felix took a sip of the mystery liquid -- Sheba had bet ten coins it was a strange tea, Jenna accepting the wager with a claim that it would give her brother a hang-over come morning. The older two of the group had passed on saying anything, but opted to stick with drinking water. The swordsman's resulting expression, even partially hidden as all his expressions were, proved Kraden and Picard have taken the intelligent choice. The wager looked to still be up in the air. "...Let me put it this way... When you explained reincarnation to me, you said that if a person lost their... their soul, their current life would be their final one, right?"_

_"Close enough." It was, considering a proper explanation would have taken several years. _

_"My question is, what would you sell your soul for?"_

_Unable to quickly come up with a serious answer, he replied, "Certainly not your drink."_

_"Mariner, I'm serious." A person didn't need to see Felix's facial expression to know it true. Felix was nothing if not serious, from body language to tone._

_"How am I supposed to answer a question like that?" It was blasphemous._

_"With an actual answer."_

_"...Allow me time to consider it."_

_Felix nodded as was his wont, going back to studying his rather full mug. If Picard hadn't had something else to think about, the might have suspected the innkeeper's wife of a desperation's to sell an unwanted brew instead of being concerned over a complete stranger's health. Or he would have pondered why Felix had brought this up so abruptly._

_But he did have something else to consider. Did he want his parents back, as __Sheba__ and the siblings did? To a point, but the ache was a part of him, and his parents were well and truly dead. Picard would keep his soul and see them again, in fifty years or fifty millennia. He would wait, and he would endure. To do otherwise would be counterproductive in the long run, no matter how much his heart might call out for haste._

_Did he want approval, to be praised for his loyalty as Kraden had wished of Babi? He did, of course he did, but -- and here was a somewhat startling thought -- didn't he already have it? Even just a little? King Hydros had entrusted this mission to him and him alone. _

_He wanted to prove Conservato wrong, and he was nearing his goal, though it would be a mistake to assume spiting the senator was the only reason behind his partaking in his quest. He wanted people like the senator and Shine to be more open-minded, and so save Weyard a mountain of headaches. He wanted to put an end to fear, to the nervousness that remained be there ax or sword in hand and Psynergy at the ready. He wanted to know that no one would ever be locked up for something they hadn't done. He wanted to be skilled enough in his Mercury Psynergy to rid Felix of his limp, to give Kraden the full use of his eyes and ears while taking away the aches in his joints. He wanted more people like Kraden and the Madran Elder in Weyard._

_Picard wouldn't think of trading his soul, even theoretically, for one of these. However, all of them..._

_"Felix?"_

_Said man looked up, dark brown eyes watching as alert as ever._

_"I want to be wise enough."_

_"Enough for what?"_

_Once past the first one, the second question wasn't at all difficult. "Enough for everything."_

_Whatever the reaction of the younger man was, it was hidden by the hair eternally falling in his face. The pair sat in silence for a few moments longer, watching a brave Djinni sip from Felix's mug. It seemed that in exchange for having mouths which none could see when closed, the elemental creatures lacked a sense of taste._

_"What do you want, Felix?"_

_The reply was far faster than Picard's had been. "To be strong enough."_

_That Felix didn't believe that he was so already was disturbing to Picard. "...Enough for what?"_

_Felix looked at him, one of those looks that spoke volumes that the receiver of the look should have already known. "For things to have turned out differently," he said, then pulled Iron out of the otherwise empty mug by the tail. The pair watched the little one hop about dizzily on the table for a time. _

_"You're one of the strongest people I know, Felix," Picard told him at last._

_"That's odd. You're one of the wisest people I know."_

He rolled over in his draught-induced sleep, groggily seeking an event further into the future, yet so long ago.

_"This is nice."_

_"I guess." Jenna shrugged, looking up from her spot around the campfire. She shot Picard a look and he shrugged back at her. Neither knew what had gotten yet another odd mood out of Felix. Glances at __Sheba__ and Kraden proved the same thing of them. _

_"You don't often get to see the stars this clearly. It snows so much in Prox; it was a wonder that anyone knew any constellations at all. But on the nights it didn't snow, those were... those were amazing. Nearly everyone would be outside - completely bundled up - just to see. It was practically a festival. They'd tell stories and spread the knowledge. It happened so rarely and the monster attacks so often that they must have been afraid they wouldn't be able to teach everything to all the kids fast enough. ...They even taught _me_, on those nights."_

_...That explained what he was thinking about, certainly. And once known, it was a catching mood._

_"No offense, but the nights of Lalivero are the best I've ever seen, and I'm not being biased. When there weren't any sandstorms, I would spend the night up on the roof with my little... with Faran's son. It was always so clear, and crisp, and calm. The stars would be out and a lot of people would be sleeping. You could really hear the desert on those nights. He and I would stay up, just to hear it. We wouldn't talk at all; we'd communicate through Mind Read. He thought it was so amazing... He wanted to be an Adept, too, though he didn't know the word for it."_

_"You've got a little brother, Sheb'?"_

_"I... Yeah. He's really cute, though he hates it when you call him that."_

_"Hehe, Felix was the same way. He had the best reactions."_

_"It's gotten to be a relief that I'm not anymore."_

_"What, cute?"_

_"You're cute, Felix."_

_"..."_

_"See, Sheb'? Best reaction ever."_

_"...Your turn, mariner."_

_"All right... Well, there's a lot of fog in Lemuria, but the stars are easy to see. Yet there's nothing as beautiful as the solset over the water, watching it dazzle while standing on one of the palace balconies. The diamonds of the waves turn to rubies and topaz, all the wealth of the world sinking down into the sea only to be replaced again and again with each wave. You can smell the spray and feel it on your skin. When it booms against the cliffs it's the most perfect sound in the world, natural and constant in its crescendos and decrescendos. It's powerful, but gentle enough to lull you to sleep. Long after Sol goes down to rest, it will be there, constant and ever-changing."_

_"...That was beautiful, Picard."_

_"...It's home. And to be truthful, I was adapting a poem my mother would read to me when I was young."_

_"Hee hee, and when was that?"_

_"What's home to you, Kraden? Vale or Tolbi?" ("Come on, Picard, answer the question!" "Please?" "I said I wouldn't tell you and I don't plan to make myself a liar.")_

_"As fond as I am of Vale, Tolbi has a special quality to it. It's educated, yet full of markets and gambling. And the palace... No offense meant, but..." _

_"Allow me to guess. It's larger than that of Lemuria."_

_"In part, yes. But what goes on there... The research, the quest, the excitement... but it might be that it's all gone now. I dearly hope not. I've never been in a room with so many scientists as I have been in Tolbi. I've had some of the best discussions of my life. The best of my friends... even my first love. Ah, how long ago that was. That girl never read a word in her life, yet... She wanted to know everything. Reading and writing, she had no time for, but if I told by her stall and bought but one tomato, she would listen to me for hours while she worked and then always ask the best questions. I gave her a lucky medal, once. The next day, she insisted that we go up to the fountain together; I couldn't refuse her anything. She'd picked the best time of day somehow. I'm sure Picard knows what I'm talking about here."_

_"It must have been a good mockery then."_

_"Picard, there was no hint of mockery in its design, only respect. The sollight hit the water so well... It was beautiful. I can't remember what time of day it was. What I _do_ remember is that when she threw her medal in, the sollight glinted off of it so... The reflected light shone on her face, and... I was in love. But enough of an old man's ramblings. It's your turn, Jenna."_

_"Hmm... I think I know a moment a little like that in Vale. More like Picard's, though. It's when the Sol's already up over some of the trees, high enough to shine over to light up the shop and make the Psynergy Stone sparkle, but not high enough to hit the inn. I don't know why, but it's my favorite place... moment, I guess, about Vale. It makes everything purple and bright. The little kids used to try to skip stones when that happened. It made the colors dance more."_

_"I remember that."_

_"As do I."_

_"We'll have to see it again, big brother. When we're done."_

_"And we'll come, too."_

_"Yeah."_

He wanted to stay there with his friends, but... He had to look further.

_"I knew what I was doing the moment I raised my sword."_

This pain, this guilt... were had it come from? Back, away... away from it...

_"Flash!" he yelled, his hand raised high._

_You got it._

_The dragon's attack collided with the barrier, giving Jenna the moment she had needed to Revive Isaac. She shouted to Picard, pointed where Garet lay sprawled on the aerie tiles with an old, black book. The words were lost under the Doom Dragon's roar, but the meaning was understood._

_"Shade!"_

_Going!_

Flower flying through the party, Felix and Isaac attacked in unison, Meld fusing their power. The second head of the Doom Dragon was felled, nearly hitting the two Valemen as it crashed to where Garet had lain moments before. A yell for Granite was heard, followed by a cry for Daedalus. Ivan summoned Eclipse as Mia cast a Ply Well over him and Sheba called for Kite. Said Djinni landing on Picard's head, he had only a moment to wonder what Sheba wanted of him before the dragon took flight, rising up far too high.

_Then Picard knew._

_"Flash, set!"_

_The monster was rapidly descending upon them, faster than the Lemurian could react._

_"Fl--"_

He knew pain as he'd never known it before.

"... a miracle..."

What? What about a miracle? He needed to know about the miracle... but the _pain_, oh Eclipse, the _pain_...

_There was a man. A man in a cell... who didn't know why he was there..._

"Ply!" spoke a different sort of voice, and he shivered, phantom pain rapidly numbing. "Ply!"

The voice continued. "You're here, Adrian. You're in Lemuria, here, now."

...And so he was, he realized, panting and struggling to sit up. "D-dragon... Big... _big_ dragon..."

"Calm down," a man with face aged by both time and worry told him softly. "There's no threat to you here."

"But... The dragon... Their- their parents... I mean, the _dragon_-"

The man held up a hand. "Adrian, there are no dragons any longer."

"...No dragons?"

"None. Nothing even remotely close."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Makrina rubbed at her shoulder. While a Jupiter Djinni could disguise her ears and other developing Proxan qualities, they couldn't stop the itching of the scales. She felt like she was turning into some sort of monster, no matter how offensive the term was towards Menardi.

'I don't see what the problem is. It's perfectly normal.'

'How could _this _be normal?' she demanded. Makrina had always taken for granted that she looked good. It was how she was. Now she barely looked human when she saw herself in the mirror. First her shoulders, then her ears, and then at last her face; all ruined. Makrina didn't think herself all that egotistical, but she liked knowing she looked good. She liked knowing that people would generally have a good reaction to her appearance.

'Don't tell me this is your first molting.'

'...You mean that this is supposed to happen?'

'Every other year.' Had Menardi her own body, the pair would've been staring at each other.

'It's disgusting.'

That was, in the type of hindsight that comes immediately after doing something stupid, obviously the wrong thing to say.

'It's just different, you sandskin. You'll never learn how to transform at this rate.'

'I don't _want_ to learn that! I want to be a normal human!'

It was, and always would be, a bad idea to get in a fight with a person in one's own head. All forms of sulking away were impossible and there were no ways to make this not so.

'You _are_ a normal human!' Menardi spat back. 'One of the only two in this entire world.'

'_This_,' she replied, pulling off one of the scales close to her neck, 'is not normal!'

"Zoshchenko."

Makrina ignored Satornil, dropping the scale.

A hand landed on her shoulder, and she tensed automatically.

There was the brief sound of ripping cloth, then a yelp of "Flude!"

Something tore with the satisfied pain of a scratched itch. Matthew turned back, Felix ready for anything. "Wha-"

"Let me see it."

Makrina turned to find Picard picking small fragments of red scale out of Satornil's hand, the latter muttering under his breath. Not that Makrina didn't hear all of it anyway. For some reason, his ears were quivering in an amused fashion. Why would Saturos find that funny?

It took a very long moment for her to realize what had happened.

'Did you think they were for decoration, girl?' Menardi asked, sounding more entertained than she had a right to be. 'You have a very stupid friend.' With her counterparts prompting, she inspected her shoulder. It wasn't bleeding all that much, but the shirt had some definite holes. She pulled a few of the loose, broken shards of scale out before Matthew decided to try a Cure on her.

'...This should not be possible. Any of this.'

'That's too bad.'

"Uh, guys," Matthew announced nervously, staring past her, "we're drawing a bit of attention to ourselves... Let's get going, shall we?"

It didn't take much looking about to know that it was true. Jupiter Djinni could only cover so much of what went on, a fact that Makrina was perversely pleased with due to Menardi.

"Right, Felix," Picard agreed, rinsing Satornil's palm off with a handful of water that had materialized from wherever it was the Mercury Adept found water. "Ply... We're set. Don't do it again."

Satornil met her gaze for a moment, and Makrina found it easier to look away than look back.

"Small chance of that."

.-.-.-.-.-.

Hua could not remember the last time she'd been this nervous. She'd been through exams, taking them, teaching for them and giving them, and she'd done all of this calmly, confidently. She could retain information easily, almost as easily as she could learn it. Sometimes, she would know what was on the test even before she took it, the exact phrasing.

She was a Jupiter Adept. She had wisdom, she had sight, and she had the power of wind.

And it was now failing her horribly.

_Where are you, brother?_

It was too personal to see. Hama had warned her of this, and she had managed to maintain an attitude of sufficient detachment in the past. But now it was so much more difficult. A brother she had never met, a friend she had yet to see, a realm of power and wonder she had but a glimpse into; this was nigh impossible to stay detached from. Hua had to be more than her Psynergy. There was more to a seer than her sight.

Her common sense, for example.

The airport no longer allowed non-passengers to the gates, making them wait outside of the screening and metal detectors. She would wait outside. She would hold up her small piece of cardboard. And he would come.

Even worried, Hama had the most calming presence of anyone Hua had ever known.

A slight breeze blew around her and she turned, searching eyes finding only a vent from which the air conditioner blew. Perhaps it would be too much to hope that he had a noticeable amount of Psynergy...

A voice spoke out to her from behind, asking with words of a language Hua had never heard aloud.

She turned once more, and a boy roughly a decade her junior stood there. A small purple creature peeked out from one of the breast pockets of his jacket. Sporting an unfamiliar logo, the jacket was blue and black, and it was zipped up half-way, displaying a grey shirt underneath. Headphones rested around his neck, a thin, black cord snaking down into yet another pocket of his coat. Nervous hands fiddled with it. His jeans were wrinkled; his shoes were dirty. He had a minor case of acne and a pair of mosquito bites on his forehead.

His eyes, their mother's eyes, were studying her, memorizing her, in very much the same way she was memorizing him.

"Yes," Hama said in reply for her. "I am your sister."

"I missed you." He smiled a little, relaxed a little. "And it's wonderful to meet you," he added, only slightly jokingly.

"You're well, Ivan?"

"I'm well. Can I expect the same of you?"

"You can."

Hama didn't often talk for her, causing some irritation now. However, Hua had to admit that she had no idea what to say when it finally came down to it.

Evan held out his hand to her, eyes questioning. Were they supposed to hug? How much of a language barrier was there? Why hadn't they started off with small contact first?

Hand touched hand. Mind contacted mind.

Sister met brother.

Half-brother.

Half-brother?

Most likely.

...Oh.

Their mother had divorced Hua's father when Hua had been a girl. Only recently, with Hama teaching her visions, Hua had discovered what had become of her mother.

...Oh.

...Brother...

...This was too personal, too soon.

...That was fine. She wouldn't push.

...He appreciated that. Really, he did.

She knew.

So... about that whole thing with dead people using their bodies...

She admitted that it did take some getting used to.

He imagined so.

They shared it all at once, mind speaking to a speaking mind. They listened as they spoke, two silent siblings, separate in a crowded airport.


End file.
